The Impact Of High Intensity Exercise On Gene Expression In T Cells

The mechanisms of how high-intensity exercise change the proliferative and metabolic pathways of the immune system have yet to be elucidated. PURPOSE: To study whether factors that regulate immune function released during exercise alter the expression of genes associated with T cell metabolism and proliferation. METHODS: Eight resistance-trained men (age = 18-35 years) performed a high intensity resistance exercise protocol. The protocol consisted of three exercise bouts that included squats, deadlifts, bench press, sled pushes, burpees, sprints, and one-arm kettlebell snatches (15-minutes per bout, 5-minute rest in between). Blood samples were collected prior to and 10-minutes following the exercise protocol. T cells were isolated and incubated for 24 hours in 10% serum extracted from the pre and post samples with or without CD3/CD28 stimulation. The following four conditions were employed: C1 (pre T cells in pre serum), C2 (pre T cells in post serum), C3 (post T cells in pre serum), C4 (post T cells in post serum). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for AREG and SGK1, using B2M as the housekeeping gene. Data analysis was performed using the 2-∆∆Ct model. A single factor ANOVA was used to compare differences between conditions. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in expression of AREG and SGK1 between the four conditions (p > 0.05; Table 1). Table 1. Fold Change Compared to C1 - Gene C2 C3 C4 Non-Stimulated AREG 1.67 ± 0.90 1.12 ± 0.56 1.22 ± 0.97 SGK1 0.76 ± 1.44 0.70 ± 1.45 0.90 ± 1.66 Stimulated AREG 1.00 ± 0.72 0.79 ± 0.48 0.70 ± 1.09 SGK1 0.75 ± 0.53 1.00 ± 0.42 0.68 ± 0.90 CONCLUSION: High intensity exercise induced factors that are released into the blood did not appear to alter the expression of AREG and SGKI in resistance trained men. Future research should investigate additional genes associated with T cell function using varied concentrations of serum.