Could a gene enhance muscular strength?

Researchers have discovered a gene that enhances muscular strength when activated by physical activity, opening the door to the creation of therapeutic therapies that mirror some of the advantages of exercise. Project lead Dr Benjamin Parker said by activating the C18ORF25 gene, the research team could see muscles become much stronger, without them becoming necessarily bigger. Now, we hope that by better understanding how different types of exercise elicit these health-promoting effects at the molecular level, the field can work towards making new and improved treatment options available." In the study, a collaboration between Dr Parker and Professors Erik Richter and Bente Kiens of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, the team was able to identify the molecular similarities and differences between different types of exercise in human muscle biopsies by analyzing proteins and how they change within cells. "To identify how genes and proteins are activated during and after different exercises, we performed an analysis of human skeletal muscle from a cross-over intervention of endurance, sprint, and resistance exercise," Dr Parker said.