People with obesity exhibit losses in muscle proteostasis that are partly improved by exercise training

Quantifying protein kinetics in vivo: influence of precursor dynamics on product labeling

Protein kinetics can be quantified by coupling stable isotope tracer methods with mass spectrometry readouts; however, interconnected decision points in the experimental design affect the complexity of the workflow and impact data interpretations. For example, choosing between a single bolus (pulse-chase) or a continuous exposure protocol influences subsequent decisions regarding when to measure and how to model the temporal labeling of a target protein. Herein, we examine the merits of in vivo tracer protocols, and we direct attention toward stable isotope tracer experiments that rely on administering a single bolus since these are generally more practical to use as compared with continuous administration protocols. We demonstrate how the interplay between precursor and product kinetics impacts downstream analytics and calculations by contrasting fast versus slow turnover precursors (e.g., 13C-leucine vs. 2H-water, respectively). Although the data collected here underscore certain advantages of using longer-lived precursors (e.g., 2H- or 18O-water), the results also highlight the influence of tracer recycling on measures of protein turnover. We discuss the impact of tracer recycling and consider how the sampling interval is critical for interpreting studies. Finally, we demonstrate that tracer recycling does not limit the ability to perform back-to-back studies of protein kinetics. It is possible to run experiments in which subjects are used as their own controls even though the precursor and product remain labeled following an initial tracer dosing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate a simple and robust protocol for measuring protein synthesis, the work considers problems encountered in experimental design. The logic can enable biologists with limited resources and/or can facilitate scenarios where higher throughput experiments are needed.

Assessing Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates In Vivo in Humans: The Deuterated Water (2H2O) Method

Skeletal muscle tissue is in a constant state of turnover, with muscle tissue protein synthesis and breakdown rates ranging between 1% and 2% across the day in vivo in humans. Muscle tissue remodeling is largely controlled by the up- and down-regulation of muscle tissue protein synthesis rates. Research studies generally apply stable isotope-labeled amino acids to assess muscle protein synthesis rates in vivo in humans. Following labeled amino acid administration in a laboratory setting, muscle tissue samples are collected over several hours to assess the incorporation rate of these labeled amino acids in muscle tissue protein. To allow quantification of bulk muscle protein synthesis rates over more prolonged periods, the use of deuterated water methodology has regained much interest. Ingestion of daily boluses of deuterium oxide results in 2H enrichment of the body water pool. The available 2H-atoms become incorporated into endogenously synthesized alanine primarily through transamination of pyruvate in the liver. With 2H-alanine widely available to all tissues, it becomes incorporated into de novo synthesized tissue proteins. Assessing the increase in tissue protein-bound 2H-alanine enrichment in muscle biopsy samples over time allows for the calculation of muscle protein synthesis rates over several days or even weeks. As the deuterated water method allows for the assessment of muscle tissue protein synthesis rates under free-living conditions in nonlaboratory settings, there is an increasing interest in its application. This manuscript describes the theoretical background of the deuterated water method and offers a comprehensive tutorial to correctly apply the method to determine bulk muscle protein synthesis rates in vivo in humans.

Metabolomic and proteomic applications to exercise biomedicine

Objectives

'OMICs encapsulates study of scaled data acquisition, at the levels of DNA, RNA, protein, and metabolite species. The broad objectives of OMICs in biomedical exercise research are multifarious, but commonly relate to biomarker development and understanding features of exercise adaptation in health, ageing and metabolic diseases.

Methods

This field is one of exponential technical (i.e., depth of feature coverage) and scientific (i.e., in health, metabolic conditions and ageing, multi-OMICs) progress adopting targeted and untargeted approaches.

Results

Key findings in exercise biomedicine have led to the identification of OMIC features linking to heritability or adaptive responses to exercise e.g., the forging of GWAS/proteome/metabolome links to cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health adaptations. The recent addition of stable isotope tracing to proteomics ('dynamic proteomics') and metabolomics ('fluxomics') represents the next phase of state-of-the-art in 'OMICS.

Conclusions

These methods overcome limitations associated with point-in-time 'OMICs and can be achieved using substrate-specific tracers or deuterium oxide (D2O), depending on the question; these methods could help identify how individual protein turnover and metabolite flux may explain exercise responses. We contend application of these methods will shed new light in translational exercise biomedicine.