Dillon K. Walker

Aging impairs contraction-induced human skeletal muscle mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis

BackgroundSarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass during aging, increases the risk for falls and dependency. Resistance exercise (RE) training is an effective treatment to improve muscle mass and strength in older adults, but aging is associated with a smaller amount of training-induced hypertrophy. This may be due in part to an inability to stimulate muscle-protein synthesis (MPS) after an acute bout of RE. We hypothesized that older adults would have impaired mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC)1 signaling and MPS response compared with young adults after acute RE.MethodsWe measured intracellular signaling and MPS in 16 older (mean 70 ± 2 years) and 16 younger (27 ± 2 years) subjects. Muscle biopsies were sampled at baseline and at 3, 6 and 24 hr after exercise. Phosphorylation of regulatory signaling proteins and MPS were determined on successive muscle biopsies by immunoblotting and stable isotopic tracer techniques, respectively.ResultsIncreased phosphorylation was seen only in the younger group (P< 0.05) for several key signaling proteins after exercise, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K)1, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4E-BP)1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, with no changes seen in the older group (P > 0.05). After exercise, MPS increased from baseline only in the younger group (P< 0.05), with MPS being significantly greater than that in the older group (P < 0.05).ConclusionsWe conclude that aging impairs contraction-induced human skeletal muscle mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis. These age-related differences may contribute to the blunted hypertrophic response seen after resistance-exercise training in older adults, and highlight the mTORC1 pathway as a key therapeutic target to prevent sarcopenia.

Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Activation Is Required for the Stimulation of Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis by Essential Amino Acids

The relationship between mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling and muscle protein synthesis during instances of amino acid surplus in humans is based solely on correlational data. Therefore, the goal of this study was to use a mechanistic approach specifically designed to determine whether increased mTORC1 activation is requisite for the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis following L-essential amino acid (EAA) ingestion in humans. Examination of muscle protein synthesis and signaling were performed on vastus lateralis muscle biopsies obtained from 8 young (25 ± 2 y) individuals who were studied prior to and following ingestion of 10 g of EAA during 2 separate trials in a randomized, counterbalanced design. The trials were identical except during 1 trial, participants were administered a single oral dose of a potent mTORC1 inhibitor (rapamycin) prior to EAA ingestion. In response to EAA ingestion, an ~60% increase in muscle protein synthesis was observed during the control trial, concomitant with increased phosphorylation of mTOR (Ser(2448)), ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (Thr(389)), and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (Thr(37/46)). In contrast, prior administration of rapamycin completely blocked the increase in muscle protein synthesis and blocked or attenuated activation of mTORC1-signaling proteins. The inhibition of muscle protein synthesis and signaling was not due to differences in either extracellular or intracellular amino acid availability, because these variables were similar between trials. These data support a fundamental role for mTORC1 activation as a key regulator of human muscle protein synthesis in response to increased EAA availability. This information will be useful in the development of evidence-based nutritional therapies targeting mTORC1 to counteract muscle wasting associated with numerous clinical conditions.

Bed rest impairs skeletal muscle amino acid transporter expression, mTORC1 signaling, and protein synthesis in response to essential amino acids in older adults

Skeletal muscle atrophy during bed rest is attributed, at least in part, to slower basal muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Essential amino acids (EAA) stimulate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTORC1) signaling, amino acid transporter expression, and MPS and are necessary for muscle mass maintenance, but there are no data on the effect of inactivity on this anabolic mechanism. We hypothesized that bed rest decreases muscle mass in older adults by blunting the EAA stimulation of MPS through reduced mTORC1 signaling and amino acid transporter expression in older adults. Six healthy older adults (67 ± 2 yr) participated in a 7-day bed rest study. We used stable isotope tracers, Western blotting, and real-time qPCR to determine the effect of bed rest on MPS, muscle mTORC1 signaling, and amino acid transporter expression and content in the postabsorptive state and after acute EAA ingestion. Bed rest decreased leg lean mass by ∼4% (P < 0.05) and increased postabsorptive mTOR protein (P < 0.05) levels while postabsorptive MPS was unchanged (P > 0.05). Before bed rest acute EAA ingestion increased MPS, mTOR (Ser(2448)), S6 kinase 1 (Thr(389), Thr(421)/Ser(424)), and ribosomal protein S6 (Ser(240/244)) phosphorylation, activating transcription factor 4, L-type amino acid transporter 1 and sodium-coupled amino acid transporter 2 protein content (P < 0.05). However, bed rest blunted the EAA-induced increase in MPS, mTORC1 signaling, and amino acid transporter protein content. We conclude that bed rest in older adults significantly attenuated the EAA-induced increase in MPS with a mechanism involving reduced mTORC1 signaling and amino acid transporter protein content. Together, our data suggest that a blunted EAA stimulation of MPS may contribute to muscle loss with inactivity in older persons.

Exercise, amino acids, and aging in the control of human muscle protein synthesis

In this review, we discuss recent research in the field of human skeletal muscle protein metabolism characterizing the acute regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC) 1 signaling and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) by exercise, amino acid nutrition, and aging. Resistance exercise performed in the fasted state stimulates mixed MPS within 1 h after exercise, which can remain elevated for 48 h. We demonstrate that the activation of mTORC1 signaling (and subsequently enhanced translation initiation) is required for the contraction-induced increase in MPS. In comparison, low-intensity blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise stimulates MPS and mTORC1 signaling to an extent similar to traditional, high-intensity resistance exercise. We also show that mTORC1 signaling is required for the essential amino acid (EAA)-induced increase in MPS. Ingestion of EAAs (or protein) shortly after resistance exercise enhances MPS and mTORC1 signaling compared with resistance exercise or EAAs alone. In older adults, the ability of the skeletal muscle to respond to anabolic stimuli is impaired. For example, in response to an acute bout of resistance exercise, older adults are less able to activate mTORC1 or increase MPS during the first 24 h of postexercise recovery. However, BFR exercise can overcome this impairment. Aging is not associated with a reduced response to EAAs provided the EAA content is sufficient. Therefore, we propose that exercise combined with EAA should be effective not only in improving muscle repair and growth in response to training in athletes, but that strategies such as EAA combined with resistance exercise (or BFR exercise) may be very useful as a countermeasure for sarcopenia and other clinical conditions associated with muscle wasting.

Skeletal Muscle Autophagy and Protein Breakdown Following Resistance Exercise are Similar in Younger and Older Adults

BACKGROUND The loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength during aging, sarcopenia, increases the risk for falls and dependency. Resistance exercise (RE) training is effective at improving muscle mass and strength in older adults; however, aging is associated with reduced training-induced hypertrophy. Recent research has illustrated an impaired muscle protein synthetic response following an acute bout of RE in older adults but much less is known regarding the effect of acute RE on muscle protein breakdown (MPB). We hypothesize that the ubiquitin proteasome system and the autophagosomal-lysosomal system may regulate the overall rate of MPB during postexercise recovery. METHODS Muscle biopsies of the vastus lateralis were sampled from 16 older (age = 70±2 years) and 16 younger (age = 27±2 years) participants at baseline and at 3, 6, and 24 hours following an acute bout of RE. In conjunction with stable isotopic techniques to measure MPB, we utilized immunoblotting and RT-PCR to examine protein and mRNA expression for key signaling molecules in both the ubiquitin proteasome system and the autophagosomal-lysosomal system. RESULTS MuRF1 mRNA expression increased, whereas GABARAP mRNA decreased after RE in both younger and older adults (p < .05). The LC3B-II/LC3B-I protein ratio decreased in both groups after RE (p < .05), but MPB was not different 24 hour post-RE in either group (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS Aging does not influence skeletal MPB, autophagy, or the ubiquitin proteasome system following an acute bout of RE. Therefore, targeting the muscle protein synthesis response to exercise may hold more promise in the prevention of sarcopenia.

Protein blend ingestion following resistance exercise promotes human muscle protein synthesis.

High-quality proteins such as soy, whey, and casein are all capable of promoting muscle protein synthesis postexercise by activating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTORC1) signaling pathway. We hypothesized that a protein blend of soy and dairy proteins would capitalize on the unique properties of each individual protein and allow for optimal delivery of amino acids to prolong the fractional synthetic rate (FSR) following resistance exercise (RE). In this double-blind, randomized, clinical trial, 19 young adults were studied before and after ingestion of ∼19 g of protein blend (PB) or ∼18 g whey protein (WP) consumed 1 h after high-intensity leg RE. We examined mixed-muscle protein FSR by stable isotopic methods and mTORC1 signaling with western blotting. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were collected at rest (before RE) and at 3 postexercise time points during an early (0-2 h) and late (2-4 h) postingestion period. WP ingestion resulted in higher and earlier amplitude of blood branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations. PB ingestion created a lower initial rise in blood BCAA but sustained elevated levels of blood amino acids later into recovery (P < 0.05). Postexercise FSR increased equivalently in both groups during the early period (WP, 0.078 ± 0.009%; PB, 0.088 ± 0.007%); however, FSR remained elevated only in the PB group during the late period (WP, 0.074 ± 0.010%; PB, 0.087 ± 0.003%) (P < 0.05). mTORC1 signaling similarly increased between groups, except for no increase in S6K1 phosphorylation in the WP group at 5 h postexercise (P < 0.05). We conclude that a soy-dairy PB ingested following exercise is capable of prolonging blood aminoacidemia, mTORC1 signaling, and protein synthesis in human skeletal muscle and is an effective postexercise nutritional supplement.

Skeletal muscle amino acid transporter expression is increased in young and older adults following resistance exercise

Amino acid transporters and mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling are important contributors to muscle protein anabolism. Aging is associated with reduced mTORC1 signaling following resistance exercise, but the role of amino acid transporters is unknown. Young (n = 13; 28 ± 2 yr) and older (n = 13; 68 ± 2 yr) subjects performed a bout of resistance exercise. Skeletal muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were obtained at basal and 3, 6, and 24 h postexercise and were analyzed for amino acid transporter mRNA and protein expression and regulators of amino acid transporter transcription utilizing real-time PCR and Western blotting. We found that basal amino acid transporter expression was similar in young and older adults (P > 0.05). Exercise increased L-type amino acid transporter 1/solute-linked carrier (SLC) 7A5, CD98/SLC3A2, sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporter 2/SLC38A2, proton-assisted amino acid transporter 1/SLC36A1, and cationic amino acid transporter 1/SLC7A1 mRNA expression in both young and older adults (P < 0.05). L-type amino acid transporter 1 and CD98 protein increased only in younger adults (P < 0.05). eukaryotic initiation factor 2 α-subunit (S52) increased similarly in young and older adults postexercise (P < 0.05). Ribosomal protein S6 (S240/244) and activating transcription factor 4 nuclear protein expression tended to be higher in the young, while nuclear signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) (Y705) was higher in the older subjects postexercise (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the rapid upregulation of amino acid transporter expression following resistance exercise may be regulated differently between the age groups, but involves a combination of mTORC1, activating transcription factor 4, eukaryotic initiation factor 2 α-subunit, and STAT3. We propose an increase in amino acid transporter expression may contribute to enhanced amino acid sensitivity following exercise in young and older adults. In older adults, the increased nuclear STAT3 phosphorylation may be indicative of an exercise-induced stress response, perhaps to export amino acids from muscle cells.

Short-term bed rest increases TLR4 and IL-6 expression in skeletal muscle of older adults

Bed rest induces significant loss of leg lean mass in older adults. Systemic and tissue inflammation also accelerates skeletal muscle loss, but it is unknown whether inflammation is associated to inactivity-induced muscle atrophy in healthy older adults. We determined if short-term bed rest increases toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling and pro-inflammatory markers in older adult skeletal muscle biopsy samples. Six healthy, older adults underwent seven consecutive days of bed rest. Muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were taken after an overnight fast before and at the end of bed rest. Serum cytokine expression was measured before and during bed rest. TLR4 signaling and cytokine mRNAs associated with pro- and anti-inflammation and anabolism were measured in muscle biopsy samples using Western blot analysis and qPCR. Participants lost ∼4% leg lean mass with bed rest. We found that after bed rest, muscle levels of TLR4 protein expression and interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor-κB1, interleukin-10, and 15 mRNA expression were increased after bed rest (P < 0.05). Additionally, the cytokines interferon-γ, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β, were elevated in serum samples following bed rest (P < 0.05). We conclude that short-term bed rest in older adults modestly increased some pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in muscle samples while systemic changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines were mostly absent. Upregulation of TLR4 protein content suggests that bed rest in older adults increases the capacity to mount an exaggerated, and perhaps unnecessary, inflammatory response in the presence of specific TLR4 ligands, e.g., during acute illness.

Leucine-Enriched Amino Acid Ingestion after Resistance Exercise Prolongs Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis and Amino Acid Transporter Expression in Older Men

BACKGROUND Postexercise protein or amino acid ingestion restores muscle protein synthesis in older adults and represents an important therapeutic strategy for aging muscle. However, the precise nutritional factors involved are unknown. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the role of increased postexercise Leu ingestion on skeletal muscle myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS), mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling, and amino acid transporter (AAT) mRNA expression in older men over a 24-h post-resistance exercise (RE) time course. METHODS During a stable isotope infusion trial (l-[ring-(13)C6]Phe; l-[1-(13)C]Leu), older men performed RE and, at 1 h after exercise, ingested 10 g of essential amino acids (EAAs) containing either a Leu content similar to quality protein (control, 1.85 g of Leu, n = 7) or enriched Leu (LEU; 3.5 g of Leu, n = 8). Muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were obtained at rest and 2, 5, and 24 h after exercise. RESULTS p70 S6 kinase 1 phosphorylation was increased in each group at 2 h (P < 0.05), whereas 4E binding protein 1 phosphorylation increased only in the LEU group (P < 0.05). MyoPS was similarly increased (∼90%) above basal in each group at 5 h (P < 0.05) and remained elevated (∼90%) at 24 h only in the LEU group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of select AATs was increased at 2 and 5 h in each group (P < 0.05), but AAT expression was increased at 24 h only in the LEU group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Leu-enriched EAA ingestion after RE may prolong the anabolic response and sensitivity of skeletal muscle to amino acids in older adults. These data emphasize the potential importance of adequate postexercise Leu ingestion to enhance the response of aging muscle to preventive or therapeutic exercise-based rehabilitation programs. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00891696.

Reactive hyperemia is not responsible for stimulating muscle protein synthesis following blood flow restriction exercise

Blood flow restriction (BFR) to contracting skeletal muscle during low-intensity resistance exercise training increases muscle strength and size in humans. However, the mechanism(s) underlying these effects are largely unknown. We have previously shown that mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) are stimulated following an acute bout of BFR exercise. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that reactive hyperemia is the mechanism responsible for stimulating mTORC1 signaling and MPS following BFR exercise. Six young men (24 ± 2 yr) were used in a randomized crossover study consisting of two exercise trials: low-intensity resistance exercise with BFR (BFR trial) and low-intensity resistance exercise with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a pharmacological vasodilator infusion into the femoral artery immediately after exercise to simulate the reactive hyperemia response after BFR exercise (SNP trial). Postexercise mixed-muscle fractional synthetic rate from the vastus lateralis increased by 49% in the BFR trial (P < 0.05) with no change in the SNP trial (P > 0.05). BFR exercise increased the phosphorylation of mTOR, S6 kinase 1, ribosomal protein S6, ERK1/2, and Mnk1-interacting kinase 1 (P < 0.05) with no changes in mTORC1 signaling in the SNP trial (P > 0.05). We conclude that reactive hyperemia is not a primary mechanism for BFR exercise-induced mTORC1 signaling and MPS. Further research is necessary to elucidate the cellular mechanism(s) responsible for the increase in mTOR signaling, MPS, and hypertrophy following acute and chronic BFR exercise.