genes Archives - Omics Help Desk

Studies have found that certain bacteria make mice run longer on the treadmill. They have found the same bacteria in the human gut of athletes right after exercise. Does it mean that if we had those strains of bacteria in our system, we could improve our endurance when doing sports? Science seems to point to a yes answer. Other studies have looked at epigenetic markers in people who exercise, and have seen marked changes in some cells, because epigenetics change the activity of our genes, usually by “silencing” some genes. Many of us know or can guess that our athletic potential is linked to our genes, but what if those genes are silenced, and what if our bacteria can bring their own genes into play?

There are many genes that are associated with athletic performance, the most well-known ones are ACTN3 and ACE. Studies have found that most elite power athletes have a specific genetic variant of the ACTN3 gene, the fast twitch muscle gene, and gene ACE, which is associated with human physical performance. What is now being studied is how our genes are modified sometimes on a daily basis through epigenetics, especially through a process called methylation. A study by Schenk et al 2019 studied epigenetic changes in five healthy women who performed an incremental step test. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise to study 33 methylation markers in their natural killer cells (NKC). NKC have an important role in controlling immune responses and inflammation, and it is known that inflammation increases after strenuous exercise. The study found that after acute exercise, DNA-methylation was changed, with 25 genes showing increased and some decreased methylation. It was surprising for them to observe that DNA-methylation which was thought to be a more stable epigenetic modification could be so dynamic.

It is said that someone “suffers” from insomnia, but we do not say someone suffers from a cold, or a flue, or even cancer. New studies are showing that suffering is the correct verb to use in this context. Two studies published in 2019 found that insomnia is linked to emotional disorders. One study by (Wassing et al. 2019) found that people with insomnia have a hard time forgetting painful or shameful past experiences compared to normal sleepers who settle those emotions during sleep. By now we know that sleep helps consolidate experiences in memory, which is essential for learning new information, but sleep also helps clear away emotional distress triggered during those experiences. The study looked at MRI images of people with insomnia and found a neurobiological link between long-lasting emotional distress and hyperarousal or inability to sleep.

The second study by (Jansen et al. 2019) looked at the genes that are linked to insomnia in a large study of over one million people with insomnia from 23andMe research participants. It discovered many insomnia-risk genes which are expressed in limbic circuits and are involved in disturbed emotion processing and more specifically in depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and neuroticism. Among the prominent insomnia-risk genes are MEIS1, LRGUK, and BTBD9 and several genes that are expressed in the brain. MEIS1 is associated with insomnia complaints and restless legs syndrome (RLS). Although RLS is a physical disorder, a study by (Tully et al. 2019) found an association between RLS and anxiety-depression comorbidity. LRGUK was also found to be associated with type 2 diabetes and autism spectrum disorder. BTBD9 is part of a pathway that regulates circadian rhythms, it is expressed in the brain and has been associated with RLS and Tourette syndrome.

Whether insomnia has a genetic cause or an emotional cause, the evidence is clear that emotions only exacerbate the problem. People with insomnia might ask what they can do with the new information? Understanding the problem is a first step, getting a genetic analysis done can help too, and then sharing the information with their physicians about how to modify existing treatments using that knowledge. And in this case, they may be able to do so without waiting for a new drug or without drugs.

Omics Help Desk

genes Archives - Omics Help Desk

Tag: genes

Can you transform yourself from a couch potato to an elite athlete? Maybe with omics.

Insomnia – When your genes and emotions cause havoc at nighttime