Inactivity and exercise training differentially regulate the abundance of Na+, K+-ATPase in human skeletal muscle

Victoria L Wyckelsma, Ben D Perry, Jens Bangsbo, Michael John McKenna*

*Corresponding author for this work
7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Physical inactivity is a global health risk that can be addressed through application of exercise training suitable for an individual's health and age. People's willingness to participate in physical activity is often limited by an initially poor physical capability and early onset of fatigue. One factor associated with muscle fatigue during intense contractions is an inexcitability of skeletal muscle cells, reflecting impaired transmembrane Na+/K+ exchange and membrane depolarization, which are regulated via the transmembranous protein Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA). This short review focuses on the plasticity of NKA in skeletal muscle in humans after periods of altered usage, exploring NKA upregulation with exercise training and downregulation with physical inactivity. In human skeletal muscle, the NKA content quantified by [3H]ouabain binding site content shows robust, yet tightly constrained, upregulation of 8-22% with physical training, across a broad range of exercise training types. Muscle NKA content in humans undergoes extensive downregulation with injury that involves substantial muscular inactivity. Surprisingly, however, no reduction in NKA content was found in the single study that investigated short-term disuse. Despite clear findings that exercise training and injury modulate NKA content, the adaptability of the individual NKA isoforms in muscle (α1-3 and β1-3) and of the accessory and regulatory protein FXYD1 are surprisingly inconsistent across studies, for exercise training as well as for injury/disuse. Potential reasons for this are explored. Finally, we provide suggestions for future studies to provide greater understanding of NKA regulation during exercise training and inactivity in humans.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Applied Physiology
Volume127
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)905-920
Number of pages16
ISSN8750-7587
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Faculty of Science
  • Na+,K+ pump
  • Physical activity
  • Disuse

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Inactivity and exercise training differentially regulate the abundance of Na+, K+-ATPase in human skeletal muscle'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this