ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 31946

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Exercise and Nutrition Research Program, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Interests: exercise; metabolism; nutrition; insulin; skeletal muscle; cellular energy sensing; signal transduction; kinase; protein; phosphorylation; phosphoproteomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exercise has many health benefits and is considered a therapeutic cornerstone for patients with obesity and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Decoding the molecular signaling networks that underpin the beneficial effects of exercise in different organs can help to identify novel therapeutic targets to help to prevent and/or treat metabolic disorders. In this Special Issue entitled Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health, we aim to highlight recent advances in the understanding of the exercise signaling landscape in key metabolic organs, such as skeletal muscle, liver, brain, and adipose tissue. Submissions for this Special Issue will explore how exercise signaling proteins, pathways, and interactions influence energy substrate metabolism in settings of metabolic health, disease, and aging. Furthermore, in this Special Issue, we aim to highlight novel exercise-regulated signaling pathways as well as technological developments and research approaches such as mass-spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics that will continue to expand our understanding of the breadth and complexity of health-promoting exercise signaling networks.

Dr. Nolan Hoffman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 
 

Keywords

  • exercise
  • physical activity
  • fitness
  • metabolism
  • signaling
  • signal transduction
  • systems biology
  • phosphoproteomics
  • kinase
  • phosphorylation
  • skeletal muscle
  • myokine
  • glucose
  • fatty acid
  • metabolic health
  • metabolic disease
  • sarcopenia

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

19 pages, 1251 KiB  
Review
Exercise-Induced Plasticity in Signaling Pathways Involved in Motor Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury
by Jadwiga N. Bilchak, Guillaume Caron and Marie-Pascale Côté
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(9), 4858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094858 - 4 May 2021
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6898
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to numerous chronic and debilitating functional deficits that greatly affect quality of life. While many pharmacological interventions have been explored, the current unsurpassed therapy for most SCI sequalae is exercise. Exercise has an expansive influence on peripheral health [...] Read more.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to numerous chronic and debilitating functional deficits that greatly affect quality of life. While many pharmacological interventions have been explored, the current unsurpassed therapy for most SCI sequalae is exercise. Exercise has an expansive influence on peripheral health and function, and by activating the relevant neural pathways, exercise also ameliorates numerous disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). While the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are still being delineated, major strides have been made in the past decade to understand the molecular underpinnings of this essential treatment. Exercise rapidly and prominently affects dendritic sprouting, synaptic connections, neurotransmitter production and regulation, and ionic homeostasis, with recent literature implicating an exercise-induced increase in neurotrophins as the cornerstone that binds many of these effects together. The field encompasses vast complexity, and as the data accumulate, disentangling these molecular pathways and how they interact will facilitate the optimization of intervention strategies and improve quality of life for individuals affected by SCI. This review describes the known molecular effects of exercise and how they alter the CNS to pacify the injury environment, increase neuronal survival and regeneration, restore normal neural excitability, create new functional circuits, and ultimately improve motor function following SCI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 12582 KiB  
Review
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Beneficial Effects of Exercise on Brain Function and Neurological Disorders
by Kévin Nay, William J. Smiles, Jacqueline Kaiser, Luke M. McAloon, Kim Loh, Sandra Galic, Jonathan S. Oakhill, Andrew L. Gundlach and John W. Scott
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(8), 4052; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22084052 - 14 Apr 2021
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 11728
Abstract
As life expectancy has increased, particularly in developed countries, due to medical advances and increased prosperity, age-related neurological diseases and mental health disorders have become more prevalent health issues, reducing the well-being and quality of life of sufferers and their families. In recent [...] Read more.
As life expectancy has increased, particularly in developed countries, due to medical advances and increased prosperity, age-related neurological diseases and mental health disorders have become more prevalent health issues, reducing the well-being and quality of life of sufferers and their families. In recent decades, due to reduced work-related levels of physical activity, and key research insights, prescribing adequate exercise has become an innovative strategy to prevent or delay the onset of these pathologies and has been demonstrated to have therapeutic benefits when used as a sole or combination treatment. Recent evidence suggests that the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain are related to several underlying mechanisms related to muscle–brain, liver–brain and gut–brain crosstalk. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the most relevant current knowledge of the impact of exercise on mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, and to highlight the established and potential underlying mechanisms involved in exercise–brain communication and their benefits for physiology and brain function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 1535 KiB  
Review
Exercise—A Panacea of Metabolic Dysregulation in Cancer: Physiological and Molecular Insights
by Steffen H. Raun, Kristian Buch-Larsen, Peter Schwarz and Lykke Sylow
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(7), 3469; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073469 - 27 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 8850
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction is a comorbidity of many types of cancers. Disruption of glucose metabolism is of concern, as it is associated with higher cancer recurrence rates and reduced survival. Current evidence suggests many health benefits from exercise during and after cancer treatment, yet [...] Read more.
Metabolic dysfunction is a comorbidity of many types of cancers. Disruption of glucose metabolism is of concern, as it is associated with higher cancer recurrence rates and reduced survival. Current evidence suggests many health benefits from exercise during and after cancer treatment, yet only a limited number of studies have addressed the effect of exercise on cancer-associated disruption of metabolism. In this review, we draw on studies in cells, rodents, and humans to describe the metabolic dysfunctions observed in cancer and the tissues involved. We discuss how the known effects of acute exercise and exercise training observed in healthy subjects could have a positive outcome on mechanisms in people with cancer, namely: insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and cachexia. Finally, we compile the current limited knowledge of how exercise corrects metabolic control in cancer and identify unanswered questions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 994 KiB  
Review
Post-Translational Modifications of the Energy Guardian AMP-Activated Protein Kinase
by Ashley J. Ovens, John W. Scott, Christopher G. Langendorf, Bruce E. Kemp, Jonathan S. Oakhill and William J. Smiles
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(3), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031229 - 27 Jan 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3781
Abstract
Physical exercise elicits physiological metabolic perturbations such as energetic and oxidative stress; however, a diverse range of cellular processes are stimulated in response to combat these challenges and maintain cellular energy homeostasis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved enzyme that acts [...] Read more.
Physical exercise elicits physiological metabolic perturbations such as energetic and oxidative stress; however, a diverse range of cellular processes are stimulated in response to combat these challenges and maintain cellular energy homeostasis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved enzyme that acts as a metabolic fuel sensor and is central to this adaptive response to exercise. The complexity of AMPK’s role in modulating a range of cellular signalling cascades is well documented, yet aside from its well-characterised regulation by activation loop phosphorylation, AMPK is further subject to a multitude of additional regulatory stimuli. Therefore, in this review we comprehensively outline current knowledge around the post-translational modifications of AMPK, including novel phosphorylation sites, as well as underappreciated roles for ubiquitination, sumoylation, acetylation, methylation and oxidation. We provide insight into the physiological ramifications of these AMPK modifications, which not only affect its activity, but also subcellular localisation, nutrient interactions and protein stability. Lastly, we highlight the current knowledge gaps in this area of AMPK research and provide perspectives on how the field can apply greater rigour to the characterisation of novel AMPK regulatory modifications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Signaling Pathways and Metabolic Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop