Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

Table of Contents - 2004 - Volume 63, Issue 02  

Symposium 5: Muscle hypertrophy: the signals of insulin, amino acids and exercise

Mechanotransduction and the regulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle

T. A. Hornbergera1 and K. A. Esser c1

a1 Muscle Biology Laboratory, School of Kinesiology (m/c 194), University of Illinois, Chicago, 901 W Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608, USA

Abstract

Repeated bouts of resistance exercise produce an increase in skeletal muscle mass. The accumulation of protein associated with the growth process results from a net increase in protein synthesis relative to breakdown. While the effect of resistance exercise on muscle mass has long been recognized, the mechanisms underlying the link between high-resistance contractions and the regulation of protein synthesis and breakdown are, to date, poorly understood. In the present paper skeletal muscle will be viewed as a mechanosensitive cell type and the possible mechanisms through which mechanically-induced signalling events lead to changes in rates of protein synthesis will be examined.

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c1 *Corresponding author: Dr K. A. Esser Fax: +1 312 996-2958, Email: mlc25@uic.edu