Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
Skeletal Muscle Gender Dimorphism from Proteomics
Published on: December 14, 2011
Adaptations to endurance vs strength training in elite athletes revealed by serum proteomics
Hasan Basri Kiliç1, Melis Şardan Ekiz2, Senay Akin3
1Department of Medical Biology, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Turkey.
Objectives:
Elite training induces profound physiological adaptations, yet whether these changes manifest as stable circulating proteomes remains unclear. This study characterized serum proteomic profiles in male and female Olympic-level athletes to identify biomarkers associated with long-term endurance and strength training.
Design:
Cross-sectional study in Olympic-level athletes and sedentary controls.
Methods:
Resting serum samples were collected from male and female marathon runners and weightlifters (with 5-15 years of training), alongside age- and sex-matched sedentary individuals. Proteomic profiling was performed using tandem mass spectrometry. Data were processed with MaxQuant and analyzed using Perseus. Selected proteins were confirmed using antibody-based assays.
Results:
Among 301 identified protein groups, 36 showed significant differences between groups. Apolipoprotein A-IV (APOA4) was elevated in athletes, particularly marathoners, suggesting cardiovascular adaptation to endurance training. Fibronectin 1 (FN1) was reduced in weightlifters, consistent with vascular remodeling associated with resistance training. Marathoners exhibited higher levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D1 (GPLD1), and lower levels of galectin-3-binding protein (LGAS3BP) and leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1), indicating immunomodulatory effects of oxidative training. Weightlifters showed reduced levels of GPLD1 and extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1), reflecting distinct remodeling pathways. FN1, APOA4, VWF, LGALS3BP and ECM1 levels were further confirmed.
Conclusions:
Endurance and resistance training elicit modality-specific serum proteomic adaptations that reflect vascular, endothelial, and hemostatic remodeling. These molecular signatures, observed in both sexes, highlight stable changes induced by chronic training and may inform cardiovascular prevention strategies and evidence-based approaches in sports science to optimize training and performance.
More Related Videos
12:59Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
07:26Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
Published on: October 17, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:33Proteomics
Proteomics is the study of proteomes' function. It involves the large-scale systematic study of the proteome to denote the protein complement expressed by a genome. Scientist Mark Wilkins coined the term...
01:20Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...