New approach for exercise epigenetics based on the acceleration-sensing in skeletal muscle – Publicly Invited Research 2018－2019

  1. A01 Ogura
  2. A01 H. Takahashi
  3. A01 S. Takahashi
  4. A01 Michiue
  5. A01 Hinoi
  6. A01 Tsumoto
  7. A01 Nikawa
  8. A01 Chatani
  9. A01 Kawakami
  10. A01 Akiyama
  11. A01 Tomita
  1. A02 Shinohara
  2. A02 Mieda
  3. A02 Maekawa
  4. A02 Abe
  5. A02 Ohgami
  6. A02 Kawano
  7. A02 Takano
  1. A03 Suzuki
  2. A03 Nakamura
  3. A03 Harada
  4. A03 Kobayashi
  5. A03 Miyamoto
  6. A03 Funayama
  7. A03 Kakinuma
  1. B01 Lazarus
  2. B01 Kato
  3. B01 Kunieda
  4. B01 Kitaya
  5. B01 Sawano
Research Subject New approach for exercise epigenetics based on the acceleration-sensing in skeletal muscle
Research Group Leader
name
Research Collaborator(s)
  • Hironobu Morita
    Professor, Gifu University

Forward a manned mission to Mars

NASA currently publishes the plan of the Mars exploration, in which it is estimated that the Mars mission will be up to 1,100 days journey without any resource transfer (ultra-long-term stay). Space environment, such as microgravity, affects the physical functions in astronauts, similarly to those after less physical activity or of person in bed on the Earth. The onboard exercise in International Space Station successfully prevent the decrease in the physical function, although it is still question whether the exercise instruments can be loaded in the vehicle for the Mars mission. Therefore, new ideas to maintain the astronauts' health are desired for a successful mission. The research aim of our group is to understand the epigenetic mechanism responsible for the physical constitution resistive to space environment-associated effects.

Exercise training attenuates disuse atrophy

We previously reported that disuse atrophy was suppressed in the hindlimb muscles of adult rats with prior running training experience. It was also found that the expressions of the subset of genes that are generally up-regulated during disuse atrophy in sedentary rats were less responsive to unloading in the plantaris muscle of rats with training experience. In these loci, histone component was replaced with H3.3 variant after running training. These results indicated that histone component turnover was stimulated by the running exercise and altered gene responsiveness in later life.

A novel exercise-inducing stimulus “acceleration”

It was also shown in our study that acceleration stimulus produced by whole body vibration (WBV) could cause the epigenetic changes in skeletal muscle. Therefore, we have postulated that acceleration is one of physiological parameters applied by exercise. Acceleration might be enhanced in accordance with locomotion and limb movement during exercise under gravitational environment on the Earth. Our research will identify the neural and molecular pathway sensing acceleration in skeletal muscle. Further, this mechanism will be applied to develop new exercise procedure that effectively generates the epigenetics in skeletal muscle.