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Updated: May 9, 2026

Human Skeletal Muscle Biopsy Procedures Using the Modified Bergström Technique
Published on: September 10, 2014
Amino acid infusion alters the expression of growth-related genes in multiple skeletal muscles
Miranda K Suer1, Justin D Crane, Todd A Trappe
1Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA.
Background:
Exercise and nutritional interventions have been examined independently as countermeasures to offset the loss of skeletal muscle mass with unloading, yet a protocol to completely preserve the soleus has not been identified. Little is known regarding the combined effect of exercise and nutrition on factors regulating skeletal muscle growth. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of amino acid (AA) infusion on myogenic (MRF-4, MyoD, and Myogenin), proteolytic (MuRF-1, Atrogin-1, FOXO3A, Calpain-1, Calpain-2, Caspase-3, Cathepsin L1), and cytokine (IL-6, IL-8, and IL-15) mRNA transcripts in two skeletal muscles that respond distinctly to microgravity unloading.
Methods:
Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis (VL) and soleus of eight male subjects prior to and after 4 h of AA infusion for analysis of mRNA expression. All subjects performed a standardized exercise bout (45-min treadmill run) 24 h prior to the AA infusion.
Results:
In the VL, proteolytic factors MuRF-1 and FOXO3A were reduced (44 +/- 9 and 28 +/- 6%, respectively) in response toAA infusion. In the soleus, mRNA transcripts of myogenic factor MRF-4 (91 +/- 36%) and cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and IL-15 were elevated while the proteolytic marker FOXO3A mRNA was reduced by 19 +/- 9%.
Discussion:
These data suggest that the expression of genes related to skeletal muscle remodeling is altered during acute AA infusion 24 h post-exercise. It appears that increased amino acid availability in concert with exercise may create an intramuscular environment favorable for the prevention of muscle atrophy associated with unloading, which may be particularly beneficial for the soleus.
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