Gene and MicroRNA Expression Responses to Exercise; Relationship with Insulin Sensitivity

BackgroundHealthy individuals on the lower end of the insulin sensitivity spectrum also have a reduced gene expression response to exercise for specific genes. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between insulin sensitivity and exercise-induced gene expression in an unbiased, global manner.Methods and FindingsEuglycemic clamps were used to measure insulin sensitivity and muscle biopsies were done at rest and 30 minutes after a single acute exercise bout in 14 healthy participants. Changes in mRNA expression were assessed using microarrays, and miRNA analysis was performed in a subset of 6 of the participants using sequencing techniques. Following exercise, 215 mRNAs were changed at the probe level (Bonferroni-corrected PConclusionsThese results indicate that transcription factor gene expression responses to exercise depend highly on insulin sensitivity in healthy people. The overall pattern suggests a coordinated cycle by which exercise and insulin sensitivity regulate gene expression in muscle.