The study of hdac4 gene expression pattern after endurance exercises in animal model

The most of endurance activity induced changes occur by epigenetic processes which Histone deacetylase 4 transcription factor plays a central role in that. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of endurance activity on slow and fast twitch muscles hdac4 gene expression.
The subjects of this experimental study were 14 rats (231±24 gr) that housed under standard conditions. After familiarization with training protocol, there were randomly assigned into control (n=7) and experimental (n=7) groups. The experimental group performed an endurance program (30 m/min, 50 min, 6 session per week for 14-weeks) on motorized treadmill, and then 48 hours after the end of the last session of training with control group were anesthetized and sacrificed. Then, the EDL and soleus muscles were removed. Real time RT-PCR method was used to determine of expression levels of hdac4 gene in EDL and soleus muscles. Finally, t-test was used to compare and evaluate the means of hdac4 gene expression in control and experimental groups.
The results showed 14 weeks endurance activity decrease hdac4 gene expression in soleus muscle, so that the rate of expression of this gene in soleus muscle of experimental group was significantly (P=0.0001) less compared to control group, but in EDL muscle in compared with control group there was not seen a significant difference (P=0.76) in hdac4 gene expression in experimental group.
The result of this study showed that despite the equal intensity and duration of endurance training, the hdac4 gene expression of fast and slow twitch muscles was different. Decreasing in the rate of hdac4 gene expression in soleus muscle is probably the sign of uncondensed chromatin, which is the begin of genes expression that involves in the endurance activity in slow twitch skeletal muscle.