The duality of the FHL1 gene in skeletal muscle disease and exercise performance

This thesis explored how exercise performance and muscle health can be affected by a single gene, FHL1. If FHL1 is mutated, it can cause severe muscle disease in humans. However, increased FHL1 levels in muscle can significantly improve muscle function and endurance exercise capacity. FHL1 does this by regulating the mitochondria - the energy-generating centres of cells. FHL1 promotes increased amounts of mitochondria in muscle, providing muscle with higher energy levels, leading to enhanced athletic performance. Loss of FHL1, as occurs in disease, causes the mitochondria to shrink and work less efficiently, leading to muscle weakness and dysfunction.