Gene expression in skeletal muscle in older individuals subject to ten days of complete bed rest.

Older individuals were subjected to complete bed rest for 10 days. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were obtained immediately prior and at the conclusion of the bed rest. RNA-sequencing was performed to determine the gene expression changes associated with bed rest. Marked decrease in the expression of genes associated with mitochondrial energy metabolism including fatty acid oxidation, TCA cycle and the electron transport chain was observed. Upstream regulator analysis revealed that many of these genes are downstream targets of the transcription factors PPAR, ERR and PGC-1alpha. RNA-sequencing was performed on 3 individual subjects before and after 10 days of complete bed rest.