The effect of exercise on DNA. Free Technical Library News

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The effect of physical education on DNA

04.01.2015

We are so used to saying that playing sports strengthens muscles, protects against cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and generally prolongs life, that we don’t even think about what is happening here in terms of physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, etc. Of course, one can assume that an increase in muscle mass with constant exercise is a consequence of the changed activity of some genes - but what kind of genes are there and, most importantly, how exactly is their activity regulated? Meanwhile, until very recently, no one could give a more or less concrete answer to this question.

Part of the problem is solved by the latest work of Carl Johan Sundberg (Carl Johan Sundberg) and his colleagues from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden). They decided to test whether epigenetic markers on human DNA change under the influence of physical stress. Epigenetic mechanisms of regulation of genetic activity are among the most versatile and effective (and one of the most studied), so it would be strange to ignore them.

It is known that playing sports turns off some genes and turns on others; on the other hand, it has also long been known that the epigenetics of human cells depends on lifestyle and environmental conditions. For example, some pollutants stimulate the redistribution of methyl groups attached to DNA by special enzymes; in turn, the activity of genes depends on whether they have methyl groups or not. There is also evidence that the methyl pattern on DNA is affected by diet. (The DNA sequence itself does not change, the order of nitrogenous bases - genetic letters - in the gene remains the same, which is why such mechanisms are called epigenetic, that is, they work not inside the genes, but on top of them.)

At the same time, almost nothing is known about how physical activity affects DNA methylation. Some studies suggest that short-term high stress leads to immediate epigenetic consequences. And if, without exposing yourself to frank stress, you just train regularly, will such training affect the methyl regulation of gene activity?

A little over two dozen young men and women took part in the experiment of Swedish researchers, who were supposed to exercise for three months on an exercise bike. However, they had to pedal with only one foot. The fact is that epigenetic mechanisms are very sensitive to everything that happens to us, and it would be rather difficult to say whether the observed changes actually occurred due to training, or due to some previous life circumstances of a particular person. And you can't compare him to anyone else. But one leg can be compared with the other, past epigenetic modifications will be the same for them.

Before and after the three-month sessions, the volunteers performed different tests, before and after they took a biopsy of the leg muscles. Of course, by the end of the experiment, one leg became clearly stronger than the other. But at the same time, the methyl pattern changed at about 5 points on the DNA of the trained leg; somewhere methylation increased, somewhere weakened. Accordingly, the activity of a number of genes also changed, most of them regulated cell energy, inflammatory processes, and the cellular response to insulin. Nothing of the sort could be found in untrained legs. The results of the work are published in the journal Epigenetics.

So, it can be said without exaggeration that playing sports affects DNA, and as a result, certain changes occur in our physiology and in our well-being. Although, of course, the question immediately arises: if you stop playing sports, how long will the changed pattern of genetic activity persist, how long will the methyl groups remain in their places on DNA? However, the physiology of the cell depends not only on epigenetic mechanisms, and the "physical" state can be maintained at the expense of other molecular-cellular processes triggered by physical exercises.

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