Emerging roles of nuclear phosphatase SCP4 in CKD-associated muscle wasting.

Cachexia with wasting of muscle protein is a serious complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Muscle protein phosphorylation is a potential therapeutic target. Liu et al. reported that small C-terminal domain phosphatase (SCP) 4 was increased in muscles of patients and mice with CKD. Importantly, knockdown of SCP4 significantly ameliorated muscle wasting in CKD mice. Inhibition of SCP4 may represent a novel therapeutic intervention for muscle wasting in patients with CKD.