Work

Role of glycogen availability in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ kinetics in human skeletal muscle

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Glucose is stored as glycogen in skeletal muscle. The importance of glycogen as a fuel during exercise has been recognized since the 1960s; however, little is known about the precise mechanism that relates skeletal muscle glycogen to muscle fatigue. We show that low muscle glycogen is associated with an impairment of muscle ability to release Ca(2+), which is an important signal in the muscle activation. Thus, depletion of glycogen during prolonged, exhausting exercise may contribute to muscle fatigue by causing decreased Ca(2+) release inside the muscle. These data provide indications of a signal that links energy utilization, i.e. muscle contraction, with the energy content in the muscle, thereby inhibiting a detrimental depletion of the muscle energy store.

Source: The Journal of Physiology

DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.195982

Authors: Niels Ørtenblad, Joachim Nielsen, Bengt Saltin, Hans‐Christer Holmberg

Institutions: University of Southern Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, Swedish Olympic Committee, Mid Sweden University

Language: English

Topic: Cardiovascular and exercise physiology

Subfield: Physiology (medical)

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Kulturministeriet