The role of transient DNA methylation in muscular adaptation

DNA methylation provides a mechanism by which external environmental factors can modify gene expression. This mechanism of gene regulation in response to acute stimuli is novel and can exist in many biological systems, but the human musculoskeletal system has a property that makes it a compelling system for investigation. It possesses great potential for adaptability. This property likely originates from the ancestral survival need of an efficient “fight or flight” response to rapidly react to environmental stressors. In response to muscle contraction, gene expression changes drive adaptive responses to improve metabolic efficiency, oxidative capacity, and contractile activity. We hypothesise that DNA methylation orchestrates the early stages of muscular adaptation. In this project, we will determine if a decrease in DNA methylation precedes activation of gene expression and determine the role of methylation in the muscular adaptation to contraction.