Similar changes of gene expression in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise and multiple fine needle biopsies

Abstract

Repeated biopsy sampling from one muscle is necessary to investigate muscular adaptation to different forms of exercise as adaptation is thought to be the result of cumulative effects of transient changes in gene expression in response to single exercise bouts. In a crossover study, we obtained four fine needle biopsies from one vastus lateralis muscle of 11 male subjects (25.9 ± 3.8 yr, 179.2 ± 4.8 cm, 76.5 ± 7.0 kg), taken before (baseline), 1, 4, and 24 h after one bout of squatting exercise performed as conventional squatting or as whole body vibration exercise. To investigate if the repeated biopsy sampling has a confounding effect on the observed changes in gene expression, four fine needle biopsies from one vastus lateralis muscle were also taken from 8 male nonexercising control subjects (24.5 ± 3.7 yr, 180.6 ± 1.2 cm, 81.2 ± 1.6 kg) at the equivalent time points. Using RT-PCR, we observed similar patterns of change in the squatting as well as in the control group for the mRNAs of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-6 receptor, insulin-like growth factor 1, p21, phosphofructokinase, and glucose transporter in relation to the baseline biopsy. In conclusion, multiple fine needle biopsies obtained from the same muscle region can per se influence the expression of marker genes induced by an acute bout of resistance exercise.

Pronounced Effects of Acute Endurance Exercise on Gene Expression in Resting and Exercising Human Skeletal Muscle

“…Other studies showed no effect of repeated biopsies on gene expression [50]. The main difference between these studies is that the study that did show an effect of repeated biopsies on gene expression used one incision for all biopsies [49], whereas the other study showing no effect performed new incisions for each biopsies [50], analogous to our protocol. This indicates that separate incisions might be crucial for reducing the effect of repeated biopsies, which was also verified by the lack of inflammatory genes changed in the resting muscle in our study.…”

“…Earlier studies encountered problems with repeated biopsies, showing inflammatory gene expression changes induced by repeated biopsies [49]. Other studies showed no effect of repeated biopsies on gene expression [50].…”

Adipo-Myokines: Two Sides of the Same Coin—Mediators of Inflammation and Mediators of Exercise

“…The adaptation is thought to be the result of cumulative effects of transient changes in gene expression in response to single exercise bouts. Nevertheless, it was shown that multiple fine needle biopsies obtained from the same muscle region can per se influence the expression of marker genes induced by an acute bout of resistance exercise [20]. Thus, repeated biopsies have to be taken carefully in regard to avoiding an inflammatory response in the tissue.…”

Acute Effects of Enhanced Eccentric and Concentric Resistance Exercise on Metabolism and Inflammation

“…Some studies of eccentric exercise have not found elevations in IL-1, IL-6 or TNF-α post-exercise [21]. Contrasting data show that elevations of IL-6 occur with acute, prolonged bilateral leg extension [22], or after multiple sets of squatting activity [23]. Differences in cytokine production may be due to the combined differences in the size of the muscle groups exercised (one small group versus a few large muscle groups), exercise mode, the resistance load and the number of sets or duration of the exercise.…”