The effect of Endurance Training on Expression of T3 Receptor-Associated Protein-1 (THRAP-1) in Heart, Slow and Fast Twitch Muscles

Background & objectives: Endurance activity affects muscles through changes in hormone-secretion and related receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endurance training on Thrap1 gene expression in cardiac tissue and fast and slow twitch skeletal muscles in male Wistar rats. Methods: The subjects of this experimental study were 14 male rats with a mean and standard deviation of 234 ± 34g, all of which were kept in natural conditions (free access to water and food, cycle of darkness and light, suitable temperature and humidity). They were randomly divided into two groups of control (n=7) and experimental (n=7). The experimental group had endurance activities 6 sessions per week at the speed of 30 meters per minute for 14 weeks. 48 hours after the last training session, they were anesthetized and dissected under sterile conditions, and Real- time RT-PCR method was employed to determine the gene expression. Finally,a t-test was used to evaluate the data. Results: The results of this study showed that the expression of the Thrap1 gene in the soleus muscle ( p =0.001) and heart ( p =0.001) of experimental rats increased significantly, while there was not a significant change in the expression of the Thrap1 gene in fast twitch muscles ( p =0.508) due to endurance activity. Conclusions: It seems the expression of the Thrap1 gene in slow twitch muscles is more affected than fast twitch muscles by endurance activity.