For the first time ever, scientists have discovered that the muscle posses an epigenetic memory of hypertrophy!
In simple words, your muscle "remember" to grow if they were exposed to heavy loads.
This study was very complex, painful (biopsies were done, on the humans) and it will probably stay as the best of its kind for years to come.
It was just published in Nature, and it's free to read
Here, I will try to help you to understand biological background of the discovery.
Invest in your body and your strength
It was well documented that the muscles could be programmed early in life and that the skeletal muscle phenotype (look, appearance) will be maintained even for years after the active sports life has ended.
Thus, invest in your body while you are young, it will pay off!
Image from Free Photo Movement
But the question was - how, as our DNA can't be changed?
In fact, there is something called epigenetics. In this case, the way how DNA is expressed can be changed and can be inherited!
In fact, Lamark was partially right... We can inherit something that we developed during our lives. And you can drive an evolution by your will (*tiny, tiny fraction) - so go to the gym!
First, it was shown that the muscles could "remember" by using the remodeling of histones.
Histones are molecules that pack the DNA, and can "block" some sites to other molecules that would be used to read the information from the DNA.
And the second mechanism, shown in this paper is the DNA-methylation, process that involves the methylation of nucleotides that usuausuallyvents the transcription of genes.
Genes included in this process are: AXIN1, GRIK 2, CAMK4 and TRAF1 for hypermethylation
and the genes that became hypomethylated (*less methylated) were: UBR5, RPL35a, HEG1, PLA2G16 and SETD3.
Does it have something with testosterone?
Yes and no... The effects of the testosterone last for about 3 months, and the effects of the processes I described to you last much longer, thus don't cheat, simply do your workout.
Design of the experiment
The participants (8) had 7 weeks of training, 3x per week, followed by 7 weeks of resting and again, 7 weeks of training.
And it was shown that the hypermethylation remains stable, while the hypomethylation patterns change during the resting phase.
About 6.500 genes were involved in this process (roughly 1/4 or even 1/3 of total genes, amazing!).
And the effects last for about 30 cell divisions in the next generation (done in-vitro).
I want to mathylate my DNA! When it will be methylated?
When you come back home from the gym, it will be done and it will last for weeks! Science proved it...
Reference:
- Seaborne, Robert A., et al. "Human Skeletal Muscle Possesses an Epigenetic Memory of Hypertrophy." Scientific reports 8.1 (2018): 1898. link
Time for my workout!
Don't forget to read steemSTEM articles and make your mind sronger as well
