Discordant skeletal muscle gene and protein responses to exercise.

The ability of skeletal muscle to adapt to repeated contractile stimuli is one of the most intriguing aspects of physiology. The molecular bases underpinning these adaptations involve increased protein activity and/or expression, mediated by an array of pre- and post-transcriptional processes, as well as translational and post-translational control. A longstanding dogma assumes a direct relationship between exercise-induced increases in mRNA levels and subsequent changes in the abundance of the proteins they encode. Drawing on the results of recent studies, we dissect and question the common assumption of a direct relationship between changes in the skeletal muscle transcriptome and proteome induced by repeated muscle contractions (e.g., exercise).

Phosphoproteomics reveals conserved exercise-stimulated signaling and AMPK regulation of store-operated calcium entry.

Exercise stimulates cellular and physiological adaptations that are associated with widespread health benefits. To uncover conserved protein phosphorylation events underlying this adaptive response, we performed mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic analyses of skeletal muscle from two widely used rodent models: treadmill running in mice and in situ muscle contraction in rats. We overlaid these phosphoproteomic signatures with cycling in humans to identify common cross-species phosphosite responses, as well as unique model-specific regulation. We identified > 22,000 phosphosites, revealing orthologous protein phosphorylation and overlapping signaling pathways regulated by exercise. This included two conserved phosphosites on stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), which we validate as AMPK substrates. Furthermore, we demonstrate that AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of STIM1 negatively regulates store-operated calcium entry, and this is beneficial for exercise in Drosophila. This integrated cross-species resource of exercise-regulated signaling in human, mouse, and rat skeletal muscle has uncovered conserved networks and unraveled crosstalk between AMPK and intracellular calcium flux.

Structure-function analysis of the AMPK activator SC4 and identification of a potent pan AMPK activator.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) αßγ heterotrimer is a primary cellular energy sensor and central regulator of energy homeostasis. Activating skeletal muscle AMPK with small molecule drugs improves glucose uptake and provides an opportunity for new strategies to treat type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, with recent genetic and pharmacological studies indicating the α2ß2γ1 isoform combination as the heterotrimer complex primarily responsible. With the goal of developing α2ß2-specific activators, here we perform structure/function analysis of the 2-hydroxybiphenyl group of SC4, an activator with tendency for α2-selectivity that is also capable of potently activating ß2 complexes. Substitution of the LHS 2-hydroxyphenyl group with polar-substituted cyclohexene-based probes resulted in two AMPK agonists, MSG010 and MSG011, which did not display α2-selectivity when screened against a panel of AMPK complexes. By radiolabel kinase assay, MSG010 and MSG011 activated α2ß2γ1 AMPK with one order of magnitude greater potency than the pan AMPK activator MK-8722. A crystal structure of MSG011 complexed to AMPK α2ß1γ1 revealed a similar binding mode to SC4 and the potential importance of an interaction between the SC4 2-hydroxyl group and α2-Lys31 for directing α2-selectivity. MSG011 induced robust AMPK signalling in mouse primary hepatocytes and commonly used cell lines, and in most cases this occurred in the absence of changes in phosphorylation of the kinase activation loop residue α-Thr172, a classical marker of AMP-induced AMPK activity. These findings will guide future design of α2ß2-selective AMPK activators, that we hypothesise may avoid off-target complications associated with indiscriminate activation of AMPK throughout the body.

Mice with Whole-Body Disruption of AMPK-Glycogen Binding Have Increased Adiposity, Reduced Fat Oxidation and Altered Tissue Glycogen Dynamics.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a central regulator of cellular energy balance and metabolism, binds glycogen via its ß subunit. However, the physiological effects of disrupting AMPK-glycogen interactions remain incompletely understood. To chronically disrupt AMPK-glycogen binding, AMPK ß double knock-in (DKI) mice were generated with mutations in residues critical for glycogen binding in both the ß1 (W100A) and ß2 (W98A) subunit isoforms. We examined the effects of this DKI mutation on whole-body substrate utilization, glucose homeostasis, and tissue glycogen dynamics. Body composition, metabolic caging, glucose and insulin tolerance, serum hormone and lipid profiles, and tissue glycogen and protein content were analyzed in chow-fed male DKI and age-matched wild-type (WT) mice. DKI mice displayed increased whole-body fat mass and glucose intolerance associated with reduced fat oxidation relative to WT. DKI mice had reduced liver glycogen content in the fed state concomitant with increased utilization and no repletion of skeletal muscle glycogen in response to fasting and refeeding, respectively, despite similar glycogen-associated protein content relative to WT. DKI liver and skeletal muscle displayed reductions in AMPK protein content versus WT. These findings identify phenotypic effects of the AMPK DKI mutation on whole-body metabolism and tissue AMPK content and glycogen dynamics.

High dietary fat and sucrose results in an extensive and time-dependent deterioration in health of multiple physiological systems in mice.

Obesity is associated with metabolic dysfunction, including insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and with disorders such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and neurodegeneration. Typically, these pathologies are examined in discrete model systems and with limited temporal resolution, and whether these disorders co-occur is therefore unclear. To address this question, here we examined multiple physiological systems in male C57BL/6J mice following prolonged exposure to a high-fat/high-sucrose diet (HFHSD). HFHSD-fed mice rapidly exhibited metabolic alterations, including obesity, hyperleptinemia, physical inactivity, glucose intolerance, peripheral insulin resistance, fasting hyperglycemia, ectopic lipid deposition, and bone deterioration. Prolonged exposure to HFHSD resulted in morbid obesity, ectopic triglyceride deposition in liver and muscle, extensive bone loss, sarcopenia, hyperinsulinemia, and impaired short-term memory. Although many of these defects are typically associated with aging, HFHSD did not alter telomere length in white blood cells, indicating that this diet did not generally promote all aspects of aging. Strikingly, glucose homeostasis was highly dynamic. Glucose intolerance was evident in HFHSD-fed mice after 1 week and was maintained for 24 weeks. Beyond 24 weeks, however, glucose tolerance improved in HFHSD-fed mice, and by 60 weeks, it was indistinguishable from that of chow-fed mice. This improvement coincided with adaptive ß-cell hyperplasia and hyperinsulinemia, without changes in insulin sensitivity in muscle or adipose tissue. Assessment of insulin secretion in isolated islets revealed that leptin, which inhibited insulin secretion in the chow-fed mice, potentiated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the HFHSD-fed mice after 60 weeks. Overall, the excessive calorie intake was accompanied by deteriorating function of numerous physiological systems.

High dietary fat intake increases fat oxidation and reduces skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in trained humans.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate (CHO) diets increase whole-body rates of fat oxidation and down-regulate CHO metabolism. We measured substrate utilization and skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration to determine whether these adaptations are driven by high fat or low CHO availability. In a randomized crossover design, 8 male cyclists consumed 5 d of a high-CHO diet [>70% energy intake (EI)], followed by 5 d of either an isoenergetic high-fat (HFAT; >65% EI) or high-protein diet (HPRO; >65% EI) with CHO intake clamped at <20% EI. During the intervention, participants undertook daily exercise training. On d 6, participants consumed a high-CHO diet before performing 100 min of submaximal steady-state cycling plus an ∼30-min time trial. After 5 d of HFAT, skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration supported by octanoylcarnitine and pyruvate, as well as uncoupled respiration, was decreased at rest, and rates of whole-body fat oxidation were higher during exercise compared with HPRO. After 1 d of high-CHO diet intake, mitochondrial respiration returned to baseline values in HFAT, whereas rates of substrate oxidation returned toward baseline in both conditions. These findings demonstrate that high dietary fat intake, rather than low-CHO intake, contributes to reductions in mitochondrial respiration and increases in whole-body rates of fat oxidation after a consuming a high-fat, low-CHO diet.-Leckey, J. J., Hoffman, N. J., Parr, E. B., Devlin, B. L., Trewin, A. J., Stepto, N. K., Morton, J. P., Burke, L. M., Hawley, J. A. High dietary fat intake increases fat oxidation and reduces skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in trained humans.

Metabolomic analysis of insulin resistance across different mouse strains and diets.

Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many diseases. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear in part because it is triggered by a complex relationship between multiple factors, including genes and the environment. Here, we used metabolomics combined with computational methods to identify factors that classified insulin resistance across individual mice derived from three different mouse strains fed two different diets. Three inbred ILSXISS strains were fed high-fat or chow diets and subjected to metabolic phenotyping and metabolomics analysis of skeletal muscle. There was significant metabolic heterogeneity between strains, diets, and individual animals. Distinct metabolites were changed with insulin resistance, diet, and between strains. Computational analysis revealed 113 metabolites that were correlated with metabolic phenotypes. Using these 113 metabolites, combined with machine learning to segregate mice based on insulin sensitivity, we identified C22:1-CoA, C2-carnitine, and C16-ceramide as the best classifiers. Strikingly, when these three metabolites were combined into one signature, they classified mice based on insulin sensitivity more accurately than each metabolite on its own or other published metabolic signatures. Furthermore, C22:1-CoA was 2.3-fold higher in insulin-resistant mice and correlated significantly with insulin resistance. We have identified a metabolomic signature composed of three functionally unrelated metabolites that accurately predicts whole-body insulin sensitivity across three mouse strains. These data indicate the power of simultaneous analysis of individual, genetic, and environmental variance in mice for identifying novel factors that accurately predict metabolic phenotypes like whole-body insulin sensitivity.

Interactive Roles for AMPK and Glycogen from Cellular Energy Sensing to Exercise Metabolism.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex with central roles in cellular energy sensing and the regulation of metabolism and exercise adaptations. AMPK regulatory ß subunits contain a conserved carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) that binds glycogen, the major tissue storage form of glucose. Research over the past two decades has revealed that the regulation of AMPK is impacted by glycogen availability, and glycogen storage dynamics are concurrently regulated by AMPK activity. This growing body of research has uncovered new evidence of physical and functional interactive roles for AMPK and glycogen ranging from cellular energy sensing to the regulation of whole-body metabolism and exercise-induced adaptations. In this review, we discuss recent advancements in the understanding of molecular, cellular, and physiological processes impacted by AMPK-glycogen interactions. In addition, we appraise how novel research technologies and experimental models will continue to expand the repertoire of biological processes known to be regulated by AMPK and glycogen. These multidisciplinary research advances will aid the discovery of novel pathways and regulatory mechanisms that are central to the AMPK signaling network, beneficial effects of exercise and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis in health and disease.

Global Phosphoproteomic Mapping of Early Mitotic Exit in Human Cells Identifies Novel Substrate Dephosphorylation Motifs.

Entry into mitosis is driven by the coordinated phosphorylation of thousands of proteins. For the cell to complete mitosis and divide into two identical daughter cells it must regulate dephosphorylation of these proteins in a highly ordered, temporal manner. There is currently a lack of a complete understanding of the phosphorylation changes that occur during the initial stages of mitotic exit in human cells. Therefore, we performed a large unbiased, global analysis to map the very first dephosphorylation events that occur as cells exit mitosis. We identified and quantified the modification of >16,000 phosphosites on >3300 unique proteins during early mitotic exit, providing up to eightfold greater resolution than previous studies. The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001559. Only a small fraction (∼ 10%) of phosphorylation sites were dephosphorylated during early mitotic exit and these occurred on proteins involved in critical early exit events, including organization of the mitotic spindle, the spindle assembly checkpoint, and reformation of the nuclear envelope. Surprisingly this enrichment was observed across all kinase consensus motifs, indicating that it is independent of the upstream phosphorylating kinase. Therefore, dephosphorylation of these sites is likely determined by the specificity of phosphatase/s rather than the activity of kinase/s. Dephosphorylation was significantly affected by the amino acids at and surrounding the phosphorylation site, with several unique evolutionarily conserved amino acids correlating strongly with phosphorylation status. These data provide a potential mechanism for the specificity of phosphatases, and how they co-ordinate the ordered events of mitotic exit. In summary, our results provide a global overview of the phosphorylation changes that occur during the very first stages of mitotic exit, providing novel mechanistic insight into how phosphatase/s specifically regulate this critical transition.

Structural basis for phosphorylation and lysine acetylation cross-talk in a kinase motif associated with myocardial ischemia and cardioprotection.

Myocardial ischemia and cardioprotection by ischemic pre-conditioning induce signal networks aimed at survival or cell death if the ischemic period is prolonged. These pathways are mediated by protein post-translational modifications that are hypothesized to cross-talk with and regulate each other. Phosphopeptides and lysine-acetylated peptides were quantified in isolated rat hearts subjected to ischemia or ischemic pre-conditioning, with and without splitomicin inhibition of lysine deacetylation. We show lysine acetylation (acetyl-Lys)-dependent activation of AMP-activated protein kinase, AKT, and PKA kinases during ischemia. Phosphorylation and acetyl-Lys sites mapped onto tertiary structures were proximal in >50% of proteins investigated, yet they were mutually exclusive in 50 ischemic pre-conditioning- and/or ischemia-associated peptides containing the KXXS basophilic protein kinase consensus motif. Modifications in this motif were modeled in the C terminus of muscle-type creatine kinase. Acetyl-Lys increased proximal dephosphorylation by 10-fold. Structural analysis of modified muscle-type creatine kinase peptide variants by two-dimensional NMR revealed stabilization via a lysine-phosphate salt bridge, which was disrupted by acetyl-Lys resulting in backbone flexibility and increased phosphatase accessibility.

PhosphOrtholog: a web-based tool for cross-species mapping of orthologous protein post-translational modifications.

BACKGROUND: Most biological processes are influenced by protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). Identifying novel PTM sites in different organisms, including humans and model organisms, has expedited our understanding of key signal transduction mechanisms. However, with increasing availability of deep, quantitative datasets in diverse species, there is a growing need for tools to facilitate cross-species comparison of PTM data. This is particularly important because functionally important modification sites are more likely to be evolutionarily conserved; yet cross-species comparison of PTMs is difficult since they often lie in structurally disordered protein domains. Current tools that address this can only map known PTMs between species based on known orthologous phosphosites, and do not enable the cross-species mapping of newly identified modification sites. Here, we addressed this by developing a web-based software tool, PhosphOrtholog ( www.phosphortholog.com ) that accurately maps protein modification sites between different species. This facilitates the comparison of datasets derived from multiple species, and should be a valuable tool for the proteomics community. RESULTS: Here we describe PhosphOrtholog, a web-based application for mapping known and novel orthologous PTM sites from experimental data obtained from different species. PhosphOrtholog is the only generic and automated tool that enables cross-species comparison of large-scale PTM datasets without relying on existing PTM databases. This is achieved through pairwise sequence alignment of orthologous protein residues. To demonstrate its utility we apply it to two sets of human and rat muscle phosphoproteomes generated following insulin and exercise stimulation, respectively, and one publicly available mouse phosphoproteome following cellular stress revealing high mapping and coverage efficiency. Although coverage statistics are dataset dependent, PhosphOrtholog increased the number of cross-species mapped sites in all our example data sets by more than double when compared to those recovered using existing resources such as PhosphoSitePlus. CONCLUSIONS: PhosphOrtholog is the first tool that enables mapping of thousands of novel and known protein phosphorylation sites across species, accessible through an easy-to-use web interface. Identification of conserved PTMs across species from large-scale experimental data increases our knowledgebase of functional PTM sites. Moreover, PhosphOrtholog is generic being applicable to other PTM datasets such as acetylation, ubiquitination and methylation.

Grb10 deletion enhances muscle cell proliferation, differentiation and GLUT4 plasma membrane translocation.

Grb10 is an intracellular adaptor protein which binds directly to several growth factor receptors, including those for insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF-1), and negatively regulates their actions. Grb10-ablated (Grb10(-/-) ) mice exhibit improved whole body glucose homeostasis and an increase in muscle mass associated specifically with an increase in myofiber number. This suggests that Grb10 may act as a negative regulator of myogenesis. In this study, we investigated in vitro, the molecular mechanisms underlying the increase in muscle mass and the improved glucose metabolism. Primary muscle cells isolated from Grb10(-/-) mice exhibited increased rates of proliferation and differentiation compared to primary cells isolated from wild-type mice. The improved proliferation capacity was associated with an enhanced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK in the basal state and changes in the expression of key cell cycle progression markers involved in regulating transition of cells from the G1 to S phase (e.g., retinoblastoma (Rb) and p21). The absence of Grb10 also promoted a faster transition to a myogenin positive, differentiated state. Glucose uptake was higher in Grb10(-/-) primary myotubes in the basal state and was associated with enhanced insulin signaling and an increase in GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane. These data demonstrate an important role for Grb10 as a link between muscle growth and metabolism with therapeutic implications for diseases, such as muscle wasting and type 2 diabetes.

Exercise-Regulated Mitochondrial and Nuclear Signalling Networks in Skeletal Muscle.

Exercise perturbs energy homeostasis in skeletal muscle and engages integrated cellular signalling networks to help meet the contraction-induced increases in skeletal muscle energy and oxygen demand. Investigating exercise-associated perturbations in skeletal muscle signalling networks has uncovered novel mechanisms by which exercise stimulates skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and promotes whole-body health and fitness. While acute exercise regulates a complex network of protein post-translational modifications (e.g. phosphorylation) in skeletal muscle, previous investigations of exercise signalling in human and rodent skeletal muscle have primarily focused on a select group of exercise-regulated protein kinases [i.e. 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), protein kinase A (PKA), Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)] and only a small subset of their respective protein substrates. Recently, global mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic approaches have helped unravel the extensive complexity and interconnection of exercise signalling pathways and kinases beyond this select group and phosphorylation and/or translocation of exercise-regulated mitochondrial and nuclear protein substrates. This review provides an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the molecular events associated with acute endurance exercise-regulated signalling pathways and kinases in skeletal muscle with a focus on phosphorylation. We critically appraise recent evidence highlighting the involvement of mitochondrial and nuclear protein phosphorylation and/or translocation in skeletal muscle adaptive responses to an acute bout of endurance exercise that ultimately stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and contribute to exercise's wider health and fitness benefits.

Ceramide accumulation in L6 skeletal muscle cells due to increased activity of ceramide synthase isoforms has opposing effects on insulin action to those caused by palmitate treatment.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: An accumulation of ceramides has been implicated in the generation of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle upon an oversupply of fatty acid. Different ceramide species are generated through the actions of ceramide synthases (CerSs), which incorporate specific acyl side chains. We tested whether particular CerS isoforms promoted insulin resistance through the generation of more inhibitory ceramide species, thus representing potential targets for intervention. METHODS: CerS isoforms CerS1, CerS2, CerS4, CerS5 and CerS6 were overexpressed in L6 myotubes using adenovirus, and cells were treated with palmitate and stimulated with insulin. Alternatively, CerS isoforms were knocked down using siRNAs. Sphingolipids were examined by mass spectrometry and tracer incorporation. Phosphorylation of IRS1 and Akt was measured by immunoblotting, while glucose disposal was assessed by measuring GLUT4 translocation and the incorporation of [(14)C]glucose into glycogen. RESULTS: Palmitate treatment increased the levels of several ceramides but reduced the levels of sphingomyelins, while insulin had no effect. The fatty acid also inhibited insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and glycogen synthesis. Overexpression of CerS isoforms increased specific ceramides. Unexpectedly, the overexpression of CerS1 and CerS6 promoted insulin action, while no isoform had inhibitory effects. CerS6 knockdown had effects reciprocal to those of CerS6 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Palmitate may increase intracellular ceramide levels through sphingomyelin hydrolysis as well as de novo synthesis, but no particular species were implicated in the generation of insulin resistance. The modulation of ceramides through an alteration of CerS expression does not affect the action of insulin in the same way as ceramide generation by palmitate treatment. Conversely, certain isoforms promote insulin action, indicating the importance of ceramides in cell function.

Metabolomics reveals mouse plasma metabolite responses to acute exercise and effects of disrupting AMPK-glycogen interactions.

Introduction: The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of energy homeostasis that becomes activated by exercise and binds glycogen, an important energy store required to meet exercise-induced energy demands. Disruption of AMPK-glycogen interactions in mice reduces exercise capacity and impairs whole-body metabolism. However, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypic effects at rest and following exercise are unknown. Furthermore, the plasma metabolite responses to an acute exercise challenge in mice remain largely uncharacterized. Methods: Plasma samples were collected from wild type (WT) and AMPK double knock-in (DKI) mice with disrupted AMPK-glycogen binding at rest and following 30-min submaximal treadmill running. An untargeted metabolomics approach was utilized to determine the breadth of plasma metabolite changes occurring in response to acute exercise and the effects of disrupting AMPK-glycogen binding. Results: Relative to WT mice, DKI mice had reduced maximal running speed (p < 0.0001) concomitant with increased body mass (p < 0.01) and adiposity (p < 0.001). A total of 83 plasma metabolites were identified/annotated, with 17 metabolites significantly different (p < 0.05; FDR<0.1) in exercised (↑6; ↓11) versus rested mice, including amino acids, acylcarnitines and steroid hormones. Pantothenic acid was reduced in DKI mice versus WT. Distinct plasma metabolite profiles were observed between the rest and exercise conditions and between WT and DKI mice at rest, while metabolite profiles of both genotypes converged following exercise. These differences in metabolite profiles were primarily explained by exercise-associated increases in acylcarnitines and steroid hormones as well as decreases in amino acids and derivatives following exercise. DKI plasma showed greater decreases in amino acids following exercise versus WT. Conclusion: This is the first study to map mouse plasma metabolomic changes following a bout of acute exercise in WT mice and the effects of disrupting AMPK-glycogen interactions in DKI mice. Untargeted metabolomics revealed alterations in metabolite profiles between rested and exercised mice in both genotypes, and between genotypes at rest. This study has uncovered known and previously unreported plasma metabolite responses to acute exercise in WT mice, as well as greater decreases in amino acids following exercise in DKI plasma. Reduced pantothenic acid levels may contribute to differences in fuel utilization in DKI mice.

Disrupting AMPK-Glycogen Binding in Mice Increases Carbohydrate Utilization and Reduces Exercise Capacity.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a central regulator of cellular energy balance and metabolism and binds glycogen, the primary storage form of glucose in liver and skeletal muscle. The effects of disrupting whole-body AMPK-glycogen interactions on exercise capacity and substrate utilization during exercise in vivo remain unknown. We used male whole-body AMPK double knock-in (DKI) mice with chronic disruption of AMPK-glycogen binding to determine the effects of DKI mutation on exercise capacity, patterns of whole-body substrate utilization, and tissue metabolism during exercise. Maximal treadmill running speed and whole-body energy utilization during submaximal running were determined in wild type (WT) and DKI mice. Liver and skeletal muscle glycogen and skeletal muscle AMPK α and ß2 subunit content and signaling were assessed in rested and maximally exercised WT and DKI mice. Despite a reduced maximal running speed and exercise time, DKI mice utilized similar absolute amounts of liver and skeletal muscle glycogen compared to WT. DKI skeletal muscle displayed reduced AMPK α and ß2 content versus WT, but intact relative AMPK phosphorylation and downstream signaling at rest and following exercise. During submaximal running, DKI mice displayed an increased respiratory exchange ratio, indicative of greater reliance on carbohydrate-based fuels. In summary, whole-body disruption of AMPK-glycogen interactions reduces maximal running capacity and skeletal muscle AMPK α and ß2 content and is associated with increased skeletal muscle glycogen utilization. These findings highlight potential unappreciated roles for AMPK in regulating tissue glycogen dynamics and expand AMPK's known roles in exercise and metabolism.

Metabolomics and Lipidomics: Expanding the Molecular Landscape of Exercise Biology.

Dynamic changes in circulating and tissue metabolites and lipids occur in response to exercise-induced cellular and whole-body energy demands to maintain metabolic homeostasis. The metabolome and lipidome in a given biological system provides a molecular snapshot of these rapid and complex metabolic perturbations. The application of metabolomics and lipidomics to map the metabolic responses to an acute bout of aerobic/endurance or resistance exercise has dramatically expanded over the past decade thanks to major analytical advancements, with most exercise-related studies to date focused on analyzing human biofluids and tissues. Experimental and analytical considerations, as well as complementary studies using animal model systems, are warranted to help overcome challenges associated with large human interindividual variability and decipher the breadth of molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic health-promoting effects of exercise. In this review, we provide a guide for exercise researchers regarding analytical techniques and experimental workflows commonly used in metabolomics and lipidomics. Furthermore, we discuss advancements in human and mammalian exercise research utilizing metabolomic and lipidomic approaches in the last decade, as well as highlight key technical considerations and remaining knowledge gaps to continue expanding the molecular landscape of exercise biology.

PhosR enables processing and functional analysis of phosphoproteomic data.

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based phosphoproteomics has revolutionized our ability to profile phosphorylation-based signaling in cells and tissues on a global scale. To infer the action of kinases and signaling pathways in phosphoproteomic experiments, we present PhosR, a set of tools and methodologies implemented in a suite of R packages facilitating comprehensive analysis of phosphoproteomic data. By applying PhosR to both published and new phosphoproteomic datasets, we demonstrate capabilities in data imputation and normalization by using a set of "stably phosphorylated sites" and in functional analysis for inferring active kinases and signaling pathways. In particular, we introduce a "signalome" construction method for identifying a collection of signaling modules to summarize and visualize the interaction of kinases and their collective actions on signal transduction. Together, our data and findings demonstrate the utility of PhosR in processing and generating biological knowledge from MS-based phosphoproteomic data.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Mitigate Palmitate-Induced Impairments in Skeletal Muscle Cell Viability and Differentiation.

Accumulation of excess saturated free fatty acids such as palmitate (PAL) in skeletal muscle leads to reductions in mitochondrial integrity, cell viability and differentiation. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) counteract PAL-induced lipid accumulation. EPA and DHA, as well as the n-3 PUFA docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), may therefore mitigate PAL-induced lipotoxicity to promote skeletal muscle cell survival and differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts were treated with 50 µM EPA, DPA, or DHA in the absence or presence of 500 µM PAL for 16 h either prior to myoblast analysis or induction of differentiation. Myoblast viability and markers of apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and myotube differentiation capacity were investigated using fluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting. High-resolution respirometry was used to assess mitochondrial function and membrane integrity. PAL induced cell death via apoptosis and increased protein content of ER stress markers BiP and CHOP. EPA, DPA, and DHA co-treatment maintained cell viability, prevented PAL-induced apoptosis and attenuated PAL-induced increases in BiP, whereas only DPA prevented increases in CHOP. PAL subsequently reduced protein content of the differentiation marker myogenin and inhibited myotube formation, and all n-3 PUFAs promoted myotube formation in the presence of PAL. Furthermore, DPA prevented PAL-induced release of cytochrome c and maintained mitochondrial integrity. These findings demonstrate the n-3 PUFAs EPA, DPA and DHA elicit similar protective effects against PAL-induced impairments in muscle cell viability and differentiation. Mechanistically, the protective effects of DPA against PAL lipotoxicity are attributable in part to its ability to maintain mitochondrial respiratory capacity via mitigating PAL-induced loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity.