Do Genes Respond to Global Warming 英文参考文献.docVIP

Open access, freely available online Research Digest Synopses of Research Articles Gene Targeting Turns Mice into Long-Distance Runners Endurance training can enhance the metabolic performance of muscle types, and now it appears that training can also induce conversion between ?ber types. Speci?c changes in gene expression trigger this oxidative ?ber transformation, and decreased level of specialized type II contractile proteins in the transgenic mice. Interestingly, these same results were seen when naturally occurring (endogenous) PPARδ levels were stimulated in the normal mice (with an orally active compound). This suggests that muscle ?bers can be transformed into type I endurance ?bers by simply activating the endogenous PPARδ pathway. In a weight-conscious world, oxidative ?bers are thought to offer resistance against obesity DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020322 Have you ever noticed that long- distance runners and sprinters seem specially engineered for their sports? One’s built for distance, the other speed.The ability to generate quick bursts of power or sustain long periods of exertion depends primarily on your muscle ?ber type ratio (muscle cells are called ?bers), which depends on your genes.To this extent, elite athletes are born, not made. No matter how hard you train or how many performance- enhancing drugs you take, if you’re not blessed with the muscle composition of a sprinter, you’re not going to break the 100-meter world record in your lifetime. (In case you’d like to try, that’s 9.78 seconds for a man and 10.49 seconds for a woman.) since obese individuals have fewer type I ?bers than average- weight individuals. Sure enough, transgenic mice fed a high-fat diet gained far less weight than normal mice fed the same diet, even in the absence of exercise. The transgenic mice had much smaller fat cells, which the authors attribute to enhanced oxidative capacity of the muscle tissue, and improved glucose tolerance. (Obese individuals lose