title: Effect of lifelong football training on the expression of muscle molecular markers involved in healthy longevity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether lifelong football training affects the expression of healthy longevity-related muscle molecular markers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis muscle of 10 lifelong football-trained men (68.2 ± 3.0 years) and of 10 active untrained healthy men (66.7 ± 1.3 years). Gene and protein expression was measured by RTqPCR on RNA and by western blotting on protein extracts from muscle biopsies, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of AMPKα1/α2, NAMPT, TFAM and PGC1α, which are markers of oxidative metabolism, and MyHC β isoform expression was higher in the muscle of football-trained men vs untrained men. Also citrate synthase activity was higher in trained than in untrained men (109.3 ± 9.2 vs 75.1 ± 9.2 mU/mg). These findings were associated with a healthier body composition in trained than in untrained men [body weight: 78.2 ± 6.5 vs 91.2 ± 11.2 kg; body mass index BMI: 24.4 ± 1.6 vs 28.8 ± 4.0 kg m-2; fat%: 22.6 ± 8.0 vs 31.4 ± 5.0%)] and with a higher maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max: 34.7 ± 3.8 vs 27.3 ± 4.0 ml/min/kg). Also the expression of proteins involved in DNA repair and in senescence suppression (Erk1/2, Akt and FoxM1) was higher in trained than in untrained men. At BMI- and age-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis, fat percentage was independently associated with Akt protein expression, and VO2max was independently associated with TFAM mRNA and with Erk1/2 protein expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifelong football training increases the expression of key markers involved in muscle oxidative metabolism, and in the DNA repair and senescence suppression pathways, thus providing the molecular basis for healthy longevity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università Parthenope, via Medina 40, 80133, Naples, Italy.|CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vitucci
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Labruna
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Imperlini
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU Sport and Health Sciences Cluster (SHSC), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Randers
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU Sport and Health Sciences Cluster (SHSC), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hagman
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Unità di Ortopedia e traumatologia, Ospedale dei Pellegrini, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università Parthenope, via Medina 40, 80133, Naples, Italy.|IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orrù
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU Sport and Health Sciences Cluster (SHSC), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.|Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, St. Luke's Campus, Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krustrup
authors.affiliation: CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università Parthenope, via Medina 40, 80133, Naples, Italy. buono@uniparthenope.it.|CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy. buono@uniparthenope.it.|IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy. buono@uniparthenope.it.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buono
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015444:Exercise; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C486497:PPARGC1A protein, human; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; C499631:TFAM protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human; C526181:PRKAA2 protein, human; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; C526180:PRKAA1 protein, human
keywords: DNA repair and senescence suppression; Healthy aging; Long-term football training; Veteran football players