Grant: Operating Grant

Regular endurance exercise training slows the age-related loss of muscle mass and function known as sarcopenia. Despite ample evidence this is the case, the cellular mechanisms by which this occurs are largely unknown. The proposed experiments focus upon a previously identified molecule in muscle that increases with regular endurance exercise training and decreases with normal aging. This molecule, known as PGC-1, is typically thought of in terms of its ability to regulate the creation of the intracellular powerhouses known as mitochondria. However, recent evidence shows that PGC-1 can also regulate key proteins necessary for activation of muscle cells by nerve cells, proteins which decline in aging muscle and lead to loss of the ability to activate muscle cells. As such, this grant will examine the impact of regular endurance exercise training on PGC-1 and how this relates to the maintenance of the proteins necessary for activation of muscle cells by nerve cells. The ultimate end-point of this research is to better understand the mechanisms by which exercise training benefits aging muscle so that novel therapeutics can be developed for those who are less able to exercise.