The Molecular Map of Exercise: Discovering the Secrets of How We Get Fit

Tuesday - May 7 2024, 14:08 UTC - 6 months ago

Exercise is essential for overall physical and mental health, and scientists are working to understand the molecular changes and networks that contribute to its benefits. The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) project aims to create comprehensive maps of these changes in both animals and humans. By understanding the underlying molecular processes, scientists hope to develop medications or personalized exercise regimens for those who are unable to exercise. Several recent studies have shed light on the complex but important role of exercise in our bodies.

We all know that exercise is good for us. A brisk walk of roughly an hour a day can stave off chronic diseases, including heart or blood vessel issues and Type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise delays memory loss due to aging, boosts the immune system, slashes stress, and may even increase lifespan.

For decades, scientists have tried to understand why. Throughout the body, our organs and tissues release a wide variety of molecules during--and even after--exercise to reap its benefits. But no single molecule works alone. The hard part is understanding how they collaborate in networks after exercise.

Enter the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) project. Established nearly a decade ago and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the project aims to create comprehensive molecular maps of how genes and proteins change after exercise in both rodents and people. Rather than focusing on single proteins or genes, the project takes a Google Earth approach--let's see the overall picture.

It's not simply for scientific curiosity. If we can find important molecular processes that trigger exercise benefits, we could potentially mimic those reactions using medications and help people who physically can't work out--a sort of "exercise in a pill." .

This month, the project announced multiple results.

In one study, scientists built an atlas of bodily changes before, during, and after exercise in rats. Altogether, the team collected nearly 9,500 samples across multiple tissues to examine how exercise changes gene expression across the body. Another study detailed differences between sexes after exercise. A third team mapped exercise-related genes to those associated with diseases.

According to the project's NIH webpage: "When the MoTrPAC study is completed, it will be the largest research study examining the link between exercise and its improvement of human health." .

Work It .

Our tissues are chatterboxes. The gut "talks" to the brain through a vast maze of molecules. Muscles pump out proteins to fine-tune immune system defenses. Plasma--the liquid part of blood--can transfer the learning and memory benefits of running when injected into "couch potato" mice and delay cognitive decline.

Over the years, scientists have identified individual molecules and processes that could mediate these effects, but the health benefits are likely due to networks of molecules working together.

"MoTrPAC was launched to fill an important gap in exercise research," said former NIH director Dr. Francis Collins in a 2020 press release. "It shifts focus from a specific organ or disease to a fundamental understanding of exercise at the molecular level--an understanding that may lead to personalized, prescribed exercise regimens based on an individual's needs and traits." .

The project has two arms. One observes rodents before, during, and after wheel running to build comprehensive maps of molecular changes due to exercise. These maps aim to capture gene expression alongside metabolic and epigenetic changes in multiple organs.

Another arm will recruit roughly 2,600 healthy volunteers aged 10 to over 60 years old.