Myogenin and oxidative enzyme gene expression levels are elevated in rat soleus muscles after endurance training

The intent of this study was to determine whether endurance exercise training regulates increases in metabolic enzymes, which parallel modulations of myogenin and MyoD in skeletal muscle of rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were endurance trained (TR) 5 days weekly for 8 wk on a motorized treadmill. They were killed 48 h after their last bout of exercise. Sedentary control (Con) rats were killed at the same time as TR animals. Myogenin, MyoD, citrate synthase (CS), cytochrome-c oxidase (COX) subunits II and VI, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and myosin light chain mRNA contents were determined in soleus muscles by using RT-PCR. Myogenin mRNA content was also estimated by using dot-blot hybridization. Protein expression levels of myogenin and MyoD were measured by Western blots. CS enzymatic activity was also measured. RT-PCR measurements showed that the mRNA contents of myogenin, CS, COX II, COX VI, and LDH were 25, 20, 17, 16, and 18% greater, respectively, in TR animals compared with Con animals (P < 0.05). The ratio of myogenin to MyoD mRNA content estimated by RT-PCR in TR animals was 28% higher than that in Con animals (P < 0.05). Myosin light chain expression was similar in Con and TR muscles. Results from dot-blot hybridization to a riboprobe further confirmed the increase in myogenin mRNA level in TR group. Western blot analysis indicated a 24% greater level of myogenin protein in TR animals compared with Con animals (P < 0.01). The soleus muscles from TR animals had a 25% greater CS enzymatic activity than the Con animals (P < 0.01). Moreover, myogenin mRNA and protein contents were positively correlated to CS activity and mRNA contents of CS, COX II, and COX VI (P < 0.05). These data are consistent with the hypothesis that myogenin is in the pathway for exercise-induced changes in mitochondrial enzymes.