miRNA expression data from sedentary and exercised rats

Loss of skeletal muscle mass during aging, also known as sarcopenia, is a worldwide health problem. The etiology of sarcopenia remains unknown; however, recent studies revealed that sedentarism, fat gain, and epigenetic regulators such as miRNAs are critical regulators in its developing. One effective intervention to prevent and treat sarcopenia is aerobic exercise. We used miRNA microarrays to determine the changes in miRNA expression through time and the differences between sedentary and lifelong exercised rats. 4 month-old rats were caged and randomly selected for sedentary conditions (no exercise) and exercised (25 cm/s, 30 min, 5 days/week on a Panlab rat treadmill). Gastrocnemius muscles were obtained at 8, 12, 18 and 24 months old for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.