Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Sep:64:95-105.
doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.07.004. Epub 2013 Jul 18.

MicroRNAs in skeletal muscle biology and exercise adaptation

Tyler J Kirby  1 , John J McCarthy
Affiliations
Review

MicroRNAs in skeletal muscle biology and exercise adaptation

Tyler J Kirby et al. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important players in the regulation of gene expression, being involved in most biological processes examined to date. The proposal that miRNAs are primarily involved in the stress response of the cell makes miRNAs ideally suited to mediate the response of skeletal muscle to changes in contractile activity. Although the field is still in its infancy, the studies presented in this review highlight the promise that miRNAs will have an important role in mediating the response and adaptation of skeletal muscle to various modes of exercise. The roles of miRNAs in satellite cell biology, muscle regeneration, and various myopathies are also discussed.

Keywords: Exercise; Free radicals; MicroRNA; MyomiR; Skeletal muscle.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MicroRNA regulation of resistance exercise adaptations
Acute resistance exercise decreases miR-1 in skeletal muscle, leading to increased IGF1/AKT signaling and therefore, increased protein synthesis. In response to chronic resistance exercise, low-responders showed a decrease in miR-378 expression, a miRNA shown to regulate mitochondrial biogenesis via upregulation of PGC-1β expression. Conversely, the high responders maintained their levels of miR-378, which is proposed to regulate myogenic differentiation by increased MyoD expression via repression of MyoR expression. Red arrow indicates downregulation of miRNA or gene expression. Solid line indicates validated gene target of miRNA, while dashed line indicates predicted gene target of miRNA.
Figure 2
Figure 2. MicroRNA regulation of endurance exercise adaptations
Endurance exercise results in the downregulation of miR-23 and miR-494 expression in skeletal muscle which is predicted to promote mitochondrial biogenesis via upregulation of PGC-1α, mtTFA and Foxj3. In Addition, miR-19 is downregulated which is predicted in increase angiogenesis by upregulation of Vegf and Vegfr. Endurance exercise decreases circulating levels of miR-486 which could promote a negative protein balance via regulation of Pten and Foxo. Finally, miR-29 levels are increased in the left ventricle following endurance exercise which is proposed to increase ventricular compliance by repressing multiple collagens. Green arrow indicates upregulation of miRNA or gene expression. Red arrow indicates downregulation of miRNA or gene expression. Solid line indicates validated gene target of miRNA, while dashed line indicates predicted gene target of microRNA.
Figure 3
Figure 3. MicroRNAs and target genes involved in muscle regeneration
In response to cardiotoxin injury, activated satellite cells begin to proliferate and then proceed through myogenic differentiation as part of the regenerative process. Satellite cell proliferation and differentiation are associated with changes in miRNA expression that result in an alteration in target gene expression that have been shown to be important for proper muscle regeneration. Green arrow indicates upregulation of miRNA or gene expression. Red arrow indicates downregulation of miRNA or gene expression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Arasu P, Wightman B, Ruvkun G. Temporal regulation of lin-14 by the antagonistic action of two other heterochronic genes, lin-4 and lin-28. Genes Dev. 1991;5(10):1825–33. - PubMed
    1. Ha I, Wightman B, Ruvkun G. A bulged lin-4/lin-14 RNA duplex is sufficient for Caenorhabditis elegans lin-14 temporal gradient formation. Genes Dev. 1996;10(23):3041–50. - PubMed
    1. Reinhart BJ, Ruvkun G. Isoform-specific mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 affect stage-specific patterning. Genetics. 2001;157(1):199–209. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ruvkun G, Giusto J. The Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 encodes a nuclear protein that forms a temporal developmental switch. Nature. 1989;338(6213):313–9. - PubMed
    1. Ruvkun G, et al. Dominant gain-of-function mutations that lead to misregulation of the C. elegans heterochronic gene lin-14, and the evolutionary implications of dominant mutations in pattern-formation genes. Dev Suppl. 1991;1:47–54. - PubMed