Postexercise cold water immersion modulates skeletal muscle PGC-1{alpha} mRNA expression in immersed and nonimmersed limbs: evidence of systemic regulation

We report for the first time that local cooling of the immersed limb evokes transcriptional control of PGC-1α in the nonimmersed limb, suggesting increased systemic β-adrenergic activation of AMPK may mediate, in part, postexercise cold induction of PGC-1α mRNA. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We report for the first time that postexercise cold water immersion of one limb also enhances PGC-1α expression in a contralateral, nonimmersed limb. We suggest that increased systemic β-adrenergic stimulation, and not localized cooling per se, exerts regulatory effects on local signaling cascades, thereby modulating PGC-1α expression. Therefore, these data have important implications for research designs that adopt contralateral, nonimmersed limbs as a control condition while also increasing our understanding of the potential mechanisms underpinning cold-mediated PGC-1α responses.
Source: Journal of Applied Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research