Abstract
Exercise induces beneficial physiologic changes in the human body such as changes in serum cholesterol, blood pressure and aerobic capacity. It has been observed that among individuals undergoing the same type of exercise training, there is a differential physiologic response. Some individuals display a significant change in physiologic parameters while others show no significant change. PURPOSE: To explore the relationship between genetics and fitness, we examined global gene expression in the leukocytes of sedentary individuals collected before and after a 17-week half marathon training program. METHODS Twenty men (29.3 ±1.0yr) were enrolled in the training program. An additional 22 men (27.8 ± 1.4yr) who performed aerobic activity less than 2 hours/week served as controls. Fasting blood samples, VO2max and measures of body fat composition were collected at baseline and at completion of the training program for all participants. To examine gene expression profiles, extracted RNA samples were run on the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene ST array. Significance Analysis of Microarray (SAM) was used to identify statistically significant genes GeneGo software was used to analyze associated biological pathways. RESULTS: The sedentary control group showed no statistically significant physiological changes after 17 weeks (DBP p=0.542; VO2max p=0.813; % body fat p=0.116) whereas the marathon-training group had statistically significant improvements in HR (p=0.002), DBP (p=0.0001), VO2max (p=0.00004) and % body fat (p=0.044). We found that the exercise program induced significant (FDR <0.000001) changes in blood gene expression with increases in genes related to DNA translation, transcription and repair and decreases in genes related to inflammation. In addition, eNOS showed significant increased (FDR <.000001) expression in the subset of the marathon group who had a change in VO2max of greater than 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise induces significant changes in gene expression of the blood in individuals undergoing marathon training. Biological pathways highlighted by these changes include those involved in cellular growth and inflammation. Of interest, increased Nitric Oxide (NO) levels have been shown to promote several protective cardiovascular effects against atherosclerosis and reperfusion injury.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call