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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
09:50
Application of Chronic Stimulation to Study Contractile Activity-induced Rat Skeletal Muscle Phenotypic Adaptations
Published on: January 25, 2018
Exercise-induced lysosomal adaptations in skeletal muscle
Anastasiya Kuznyetsova1, David A Hood1
1Muscle Health Research Centre, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada.
Sports Medicine and Health Science
|August 1, 2026
Summary
Regular exercise enhances skeletal muscle health by stimulating lysosome biogenesis and increasing degradative capacity. This adaptation, driven by transcription factors TFEB and TFE3, improves cellular homeostasis and muscle plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Exercise physiology
- Cell biology
- Skeletal muscle biology
Background:
- Skeletal muscle health relies on intracellular organelle function, adaptable to exercise.
- Mitochondrial adaptations to exercise are well-studied, but lysosomal roles are less understood.
- Lysosomes are crucial for degrading cellular debris and maintaining homeostasis via autophagy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of acute and chronic exercise on lysosomal adaptations in skeletal muscle.
- To highlight the role of transcription factors TFEB and TFE3 in exercise-induced lysosome biogenesis.
- To explore lysosomes as a novel pathway in exercise-induced muscle plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on exercise, autophagy, and lysosomal function.
- Analysis of molecular mechanisms, including transcription factor translocation (TFEB, TFE3).
- Examination of cellular processes like mitophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), and autophagic-lysosome reformation (ALR).
Main Results:
- Acute exercise triggers lysosome biogenesis through TFEB/TFE3 nuclear translocation.
- Repeated exercise leads to increased lysosomal degradative capacity in skeletal muscle.
- Lysosomal adaptations contribute to cellular protein and organelle homeostasis.
Conclusions:
- Exercise significantly impacts skeletal muscle lysosome function and biogenesis.
- Lysosomes represent a key, yet underappreciated, component of exercise-induced muscle adaptation.
- Understanding lysosomal adaptations offers new insights into muscle plasticity and health.
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