Physical activity stimulates tissue crosstalk and provides powerful protection against cardiometabolic disease. This past year, several studies have expanded our knowledge of the secreted molecules regulated by physical activity, uncovered new circuits of cell and tissue crosstalk and provided fundamental insights into the mechanisms that underlie the cardiometabolic benefits of exercise.
Key advances
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An exercise-inducible paracrine signalling circuit in muscle, mediated by the citric-acid-cycle intermediate succinate and its receptor SUCNR1, controls exercise capacity and systemic glucose homeostasis in mice8.
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Exercise induces the expression of the secreted trophic factor neurturin in muscle, which acts to promote the development of slow-twitch fibres and to improve mouse motor coordination and running performance9.
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Aptamer-based plasma proteomics of a large and deeply phenotyped human exercise cohort identifies new circulating biomarkers of baseline and exercise-inducible VO2max; these markers are found to be associated with all-cause mortality10.
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The author acknowledges the support of the NIH (DK124265 and DK130641 to J.Z.L.).
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Long, J.Z. Molecular transducers and the cardiometabolic benefits of exercise. Nat Rev Endocrinol 18, 77–78 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00609-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00609-8
