Basic Research

How liver 'talks' to muscle: A well-timed, coordinated conversation
Especially striking is that 1) this 'conversation' involves one nuclear receptor-controlling gene expression in the liver influencing another nuclear receptor in muscle, 2) this circuit is influenced by day-night cycles, and 3) the research team identified a specific circulating lipid molecule that plays the role of messenger between liver and muscle. The study will appear in the October 24, 2013 issue of Nature. MedicalXpress

Key mechanism links exercise to muscle growth
Published in PLOS Biology, the research by Dr Orli Yogev, Professor Simon Hughes and colleagues from the Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics at King's College London, showed how muscle growth in zebrafish is regulated by the effects of physical activity on the TOR cell signalling pathway, a known regulator of cell growth in organisms from yeast to mammals. Specifically, lack of physical activity activated proteins that block muscle protein synthesis – the process through which muscles normally grow. MedicalXpress

New biological links between sleep deprivation and the immune system discovered
Population-level studies have indicated that insufficient sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These diseases are known to be linked to inflammatory responses in the body.

University of Helsinki researchers have now shown what kinds of biological mechanisms related to sleep loss affect the immune system and trigger an inflammatory response. They identified the genes which are most susceptible to sleep deprivation and examined whether these genes are involved in the regulation of the immune system. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE on October 23, 2013. MedicalXpress