Fig. 3.

The miR-542-3p and -5p are associated with physical performance in older people. A–D: miR-542-3p and miR-542-5p were quantified in quadriceps biopsies from older individuals enrolled in the Hertfordshire Sarcopenia Study (HSS) (n = 64) and correlated with physical performance measured using the timed up and go test (A and B) and 3-min gait speed (C and D). AU, arbitrary units. A–D: both miR-542-3p (A and C) and miR-542-5p (B and D) were associated with poor physical performance on both tests. E and F: furthermore, in the patients identified as sarcopenic according to European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People guidelines (n = 5) both microRNAs (miRNAs) [miR-542-3p (E) and miR-542-5p (F)] were elevated compared with those who were not sarcopenic (n = 59). The data shown for miR-542-3p are taken from all 64 samples; however, 4 samples did not amplify for miR-542-5p (3 nonsarcopenic and 1 sarcopenic), so these data come from 56 control and 4 sarcopenic individuals. miRNA expression was normalized to the expression of U6 and RNU48 in the same samples. Pearson correlation coefficients shown and statistical difference was calculated by Student’s t-test.