Overview
- Published on February 25 in Advanced Science, the peer-reviewed study shows that skeletal muscle retains long-lasting transcriptional traces after repeated inactivity.
- Young adults who underwent repeated lower-limb immobilization displayed less disruption of oxidative and mitochondrial gene programs during the second disuse period, indicating molecular resilience.
- An aged-rat model showed a detrimental memory of disuse with greater atrophy, stronger suppression of aerobic and mitochondrial genes, and activation of DNA-damage pathways.
- Cross-species analyses identified conserved shifts in metabolic gene networks that record prior atrophy events.
- The research team has initiated work with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to test exercise modes that may evoke beneficial mitochondrial memory signals, particularly for ageing muscle.