Publications (2)0 Total impact
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Beatrice McGivney,
Paul McGettigan,
John Browne,
Alexander Evans,
Rita Fonseca,
Brendan Loftus,
Amanda Lohan,
David MacHugh,
Barbara Murphy, Lisa Katz,
Emmeline Hill
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ABSTRACT: Abstract
Background
Digital gene expression profiling was used to characterize the assembly of genes expressed in equine skeletal muscle and to identify the subset of genes that were differentially expressed following a ten-month period of exercise training. The study cohort comprised seven Thoroughbred racehorses from a single training yard. Skeletal muscle biopsies were collected at rest from the gluteus medius at two time points: T<sub>1 </sub>- untrained, (9 ± 0.5 months old) and T<sub>2 </sub>- trained (20 ± 0.7 months old).
Results
The most abundant mRNA transcripts in the muscle transcriptome were those involved in muscle contraction, aerobic respiration and mitochondrial function. A previously unreported over-representation of genes related to RNA processing, the stress response and proteolysis was observed. Following training 92 tags were differentially expressed of which 74 were annotated. Sixteen genes showed increased expression, including the mitochondrial genes ACADVL , MRPS21 and SLC25A29 encoded by the nuclear genome. Among the 58 genes with decreased expression, MSTN , a negative regulator of muscle growth, had the greatest decrease.
Functional analysis of all expressed genes using FatiScan revealed an asymmetric distribution of 482 Gene Ontology (GO) groups and 18 KEGG pathways. Functional groups displaying highly significant ( P < 0.0001) increased expression included mitochondrion, oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism while functional groups with decreased expression were mainly associated with structural genes and included the sarcoplasm, laminin complex and cytoskeleton.
Conclusion
Exercise training in Thoroughbred racehorses results in coordinate changes in the gene expression of functional groups of genes related to metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and muscle structure.
BMC Genomics. 01/2010;
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ABSTRACT: Abstract
Background
Selection for exercise-adapted phenotypes in the Thoroughbred racehorse has provided a valuable model system to understand molecular responses to exercise in skeletal muscle. Exercise stimulates immediate early molecular responses as well as delayed responses during recovery, resulting in a return to homeostasis and enabling long term adaptation. Global mRNA expression during the immediate-response period has not previously been reported in skeletal muscle following exercise in any species. Also, global gene expression changes in equine skeletal muscle following exercise have not been reported. Therefore, to identify novel genes and key regulatory pathways responsible for exercise adaptation we have used equine-specific cDNA microarrays to examine global mRNA expression in skeletal muscle from a cohort of Thoroughbred horses ( n = 8) at three time points (before exercise, immediately post-exercise, and four hours post-exercise) following a single bout of treadmill exercise.
Results
Skeletal muscle biopsies were taken from the gluteus medius before (T<sub>0</sub>), immediately after (T<sub>1</sub>) and four hours after (T<sub>2</sub>) exercise. Statistically significant differences in mRNA abundance between time points (T<sub>0 </sub> vs T<sub>1 </sub>and T<sub>0 </sub> vs T<sub>2</sub>) were determined using the empirical Bayes moderated t -test in the Bioconductor package Linear Models for Microarray Data (LIMMA) and the expression of a select panel of genes was validated using real time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). While only two genes had increased expression at T<sub>1 </sub>( P < 0.05), by T<sub>2 </sub>932 genes had increased ( P < 0.05) and 562 genes had decreased expression ( P < 0.05). Functional analysis of genes differentially expressed during the recovery phase (T<sub>2</sub>) revealed an over-representation of genes localized to the actin cytoskeleton and with functions in the MAPK signalling, focal adhesion, insulin signalling, mTOR signaling, p53 signaling and Type II diabetes mellitus pathways. At T<sub>1</sub>, using a less stringent statistical approach, we observed an over-representation of genes involved in the stress response, metabolism and intracellular signaling. These findings suggest that protein synthesis, mechanosensation and muscle remodeling contribute to skeletal muscle adaptation towards improved integrity and hypertrophy.
Conclusions
This is the first study to characterize global mRNA expression profiles in equine skeletal muscle using an equine-specific microarray platform. Here we reveal novel genes and mechanisms that are temporally expressed following exercise providing new knowledge about the early and late molecular responses to exercise in the equine skeletal muscle transcriptome.
BMC Genomics. 01/2009;
