Proteomics of slow and fast human muscle fibers reveals extensive fiber type-specific adaptations in response to exercise training

Skeletal muscle plays an important role in the health-promoting effects of exercise training, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Proteomics of skeletal muscle is challenging due to presence of non-muscle tissues and existence of different fiber types confounding the results. This can be circumvented by analysis of pure fibers; however this requires isolation of fibers from fresh tissues. We developed a workflow enabling proteomics analysis of isolated muscle fibers from freeze-dried muscle biopsies and identified >4000 proteins. We investigated effects of exercise training on the pool of slow and fast muscle fibers. Exercise altered expression of >500 proteins irrespective of fiber type covering several metabolic processes, mainly related to mitochondria. Furthermore, exercise training altered proteins involved in regulation of post-translational modifications, transcription, Ca++ signaling, fat, and glucose metabolism in a fiber type-specific manner. Our data serves as a valuable resource for elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying muscle performance and health. Finally, our workflow offers methodological advancement allowing proteomic analyses of already stored freeze-dried human muscle biopsies.