Trial lecture - time and place
29.06.2022, 10.15. Auditorium, Gydas vei 8
Exercise effects on white and brown adipose tissue
Conferral summary
Fysisk aktivitet og økt energiforbruk i skjelettmuskulatur anses å spille en sentral rolle i forebygging og behandling av en rekke metabolske sykdommer som fedme og type 2-diabetes. I denne avhandlingen har Abel Mengeste studert mulige mekanismer bak disse gunstige effektene i celler isolert fra muskelbiopsier fra mennesker. Resultatene har bidratt til økt kunnskap om mulige angrepspunkter for utvikling av nye legemidler mot type 2-diabetes og fedme.
Main research findings
Regular exercise has proven to offer an effective strategy to counter obesity and associated metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes. Although contraction of skeletal muscle during exercise is essential for the favorable overall health benefits, a significant gap still remains in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This thesis sheds new light on molecular responses to contraction of human skeletal muscle cells using electrical pulse stimulation (EPS) and also explores the possibility of increasing energy expenditure by targeting the calcium-ATPase pump (SERCA) in muscle. The SERCA pump is one of the main contributors to contraction and relaxation as well as heat production in muscle. The findings in this work revealed that pharmacological activation or genetic manipulation of SERCA could have significant implications in the treatment of obesity and related disorders. Additionally, we found that several genes and proteins important for regulation of energy homeostasis were changed in human muscle cells after EPS. These results will be a valuable resource for understanding the complex interplay between skeletal muscle contraction and energy utilization.
Read more (in Norwegian)
- Slik vert energi omsett i musklane når du trenar (Titan, 15. juni 2022)
- Muskelpumpe på tomgang gjev håp om nye legemiddel mot fedme (Titan, 9. november 2021)