Molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise.
The strength and oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle are major determinants of physical performance, whether in elite athletes or in patients with congestive heart failure or other circulatory disorders. Exercise training augments the functional capacity of skeletal muscle, in part by altering the abundance of proteins essential for contraction and energy metabolism. These adaptations result from exercise-induced changes in the abundance of specific mRNA transcripts, suggesting that gene transcription is an important target for signaling pathways that couple contractile activity to changes in muscle phenotype. Understanding the genetic control mechanisms involved in the adaptive capacity of skeletal muscle could lead to novel approaches to the therapy of patients with cardiovascular disease, either by improving peripheral utilization of oxygen in patients with limited cardiac output or by contributing to the successful application of skeletal muscle grafts to assist the failing heart.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235-8573, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235-8573, USA.
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