MoTrPAC study builds molecular map of exercise signalling
Updated
Updated · UCHealth Today · May 1
MoTrPAC study builds molecular map of exercise signalling
12 articles · Updated · UCHealth Today · May 1
The NIH-funded 10-year project has enrolled more than 2,000 participants across 10 clinical sites, including the University of Colorado Anschutz, principal investigator Wendy Kohrt said.
Researchers are analysing blood, muscle and fat samples, plus endurance and resistance training responses, to identify molecular pathways that could guide precision exercise prescriptions for heart, lung and brain health.
The work aims to explain why exercise can prevent or potentially treat disease, helping tailor activity by age, sex and condition and, in some cases, support exercise as an alternative to medication.
Will doctors soon prescribe workouts based on our molecular map instead of just pills?
Could the intense training of elite athletes actually be accelerating cellular aging and causing long-term harm?
For women over 50, is heavy lifting now more crucial than cardio for preventing debilitating bone fractures?
MoTrPAC's 18-Tissue Multi-Omic Atlas Reveals Sex-Specific Molecular Rewiring by Exercise
Overview
The MoTrPAC study (2024–2025) created the first comprehensive molecular map showing how exercise reshapes the body across 18 tissues in male and female rats. It revealed profound, sex-specific molecular changes, especially in fat tissue, where males activate AMPK leading to fat loss, while females engage mTOR and reduce inflammation to maintain fat and improve insulin sensitivity. Exercise also triggers muscle AMPK activation, boosting mitochondrial function to combat diabetes. Additionally, exercise releases signaling molecules called exerkines that enhance metabolism system-wide. These findings, supported by conserved pathways between rats and humans, pave the way for personalized exercise prescriptions and the development of exercise mimetics, with all data openly available to accelerate future research.