Myogenic protein expression before and after resistance loading in 26- and 64-yr-old men and women

• Published in: Journal of applied physiology (1985) 2004-10, Vol.97 (4), p.1329-1337
• Main Authors: Bamman, Marcas M, Ragan, Ronald C, Kim, Jeong-su, Cross, James M, Hill, Vernishia J, Tuggle, S. Craig, Allman, Richard M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological - physiology; Adult; Age differences; Age Factors; Aging - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle Proteins - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Muscular Atrophy - physiopathology; Physical Exertion - physiology; Proteins; Sex Factors; Thigh - physiology; Weight Lifting - physiology
• ISSN: 8750-7587; 1522-1601
• DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01387.2003

1 Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Departments of 2 Physiology and Biophysics, 3 Surgery, and 4 Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294 Submitted 22 December 2003 ; accepted in final form 21 May 2004 Based on the growing body of evidence implicating an important role for myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) in the adaptive responses of skeletal muscle to mechanical load, we tested the hypothesis that protein concentrations of MRFs as well as cell cycle proteins (i.e., cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors) would be altered after heavy leg resistance exercise (RE). Because we and others, however, have shown a blunted adaptive response to long-term resistance training in older (O) women [females (F)] compared with men (M), we also tested the hypothesis that these myogenic responses to RE would be influenced by age and gender. Twenty-two younger (Y) adults (20–35 yr, 11 YF, 11 YM) and 20 O adults (60–75 yr, 9 OF, 11 OM) consented to vastus lateralis muscle biopsy before and 24 h after a bout of RE using a regimen known to induce myofiber hypertrophy when performed 2–3 days/wk for several weeks (3 sets of 80% one-repetition maximum for squat, leg press, and knee extension). Protein concentrations of MRFs (MyoD, myogenin, myf-6), cyclin D1, cyclin B1, -actin, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 kip were determined by immunoblotting. Data were analyzed by using age x gender x load repeated-measures ANOVA. Myogenin expression was 44% higher ( P < 0.05) in O compared with Y, and myf-6 tended to be higher in OF compared with YF (95%, P = 0.059). A significant gender x load interaction indicated that, in F, RE led to a reduction in p27 kip (20%; P < 0.05), which was driven mainly by a 27% drop in OF. Levels of cyclin D1, cyclin B1, MyoD, myf-6, and -actin were not influenced by age, gender, or loading. We report a novel finding in humans of markedly higher myogenin protein content in older sedentary muscle. The results do not, however, support the hypothesis that myogenic protein expression is altered 24 h after RE, irrespective of age or gender. Although the time point of postexercise muscle biopsy could be viewed as too early to capture maximal effects for most of these proteins, the significant decline in p27 kip concentration found in OF suggests that mechanical load may provide one means of overcoming the inhibitory