Unit 4 – Running to the Future

This section will aim to propose a comprehensive future experiment that may contribute further insight into this pathway. Although there is existing literature that demonstrates the potential benefits of exercise in mammals, the mechanisms involved remain unknown or poorly understood, particularly regarding the heart. Current research has been unable thus far to determine the mechanism by which miR-222 is implicated in exercise-induced hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes. Additionally, having a deeper understanding of new cardiomyocytes formation from exercise will further aid researchers in developing novel therapeutics for various heart diseases (Shen et. al).

Personalized treatments involving exercising training should be available in the future which acknowledge an individual’s genetic background, sex, age, medication history, and diet – all of which can have an effect on their cardiovascular health (Kra ̈nkel et al.).

As previously performed, samples of hypertrophied and newly formed cardiomyocytes should be taken from mice who have undergone experimental MI and an exercise regimen. Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) can be performed on the samples to identify gene expression modification downstream of a given mRNA, specifically miR-222 in this experiment. This technique would allow for the visualization of other downstream effectors of miR-222 in different phases of the cell cycle, allowing the researchers to determinate which phase is specifically being targeted by exercise. Importantly, this is an efficient method for this study since it is capable of analyzing thousands of genes simultaneously and compare it to a database of known genes.

The future goal is to be able to target this miR-222 pathway in a clinical setting to minimize damage post-MI, effectively improving the disease outcome and reducing the cost burden on the economy.