Biology 105
Biology of Exercise
Spring 2003

3/24/03 - Post-class outline

Learning objectives:

How is protein synthesis regulated?
What are appropriate training programs for aerobic, anaerobic power, endurance, and strength?

Diagrams.

• A model for the training effect
• Detraining
• Molecular biology overview
• Coding for proteins
• Triplet code
  
  
• From DNA to RNA to protein
• Steps in this process
  • Human DNA is contained in 23 pairs of chromosomes.
  • A discrete region of DNA that codes for a protein is a gene. There are about 35,000 genes in humans based on recent sequencing of the human genome.
  • DNA is a double stranded helix of nucleotides.
  • RNA is a single strand of nucleotides.
  • Nucleotides contain one of 5 bases.
    • Adenine (A)
    • Thymine (T) in DNA only
    • Cytosine (C)
    • Guanine (G)
    • Uracil (U) in RNA only (replaces T)
  • Nucleotide bases can pair:
    • A with T (or U in RNA)
    • C with G
  • The triplet code - three nucleotides code for an amino acid.
  • The DNA encoding particular genes is transcribed into RNA in the cell nucleus. This process can be regulated by transcription factors. The RNA is processed into a form called a messenger RNA (mRNA) and is exported out of the nucleus.
  • In the cytoplasm, RNA is translated into protein.
  • A kind of RNA called transfer RNA (tRNA) binds to a particular nucleotide mRNA base triplet (the tRNA contains bases that pair with the mRNA bases). The tRNA is also attached to the correct amino acid, so the the proper amino acid is brought to the new amino acid chain.
• Regulation of protein synthesis - each step in the process can be regulated.
• The bottom line. Changes in protein synthesis are the basis of the training effect. Each step in the synthesis can be regulated, and this regulated can be affected by environmental factors. Thus, changes in hormone levels or physical factors (i.e. oxygen level) can influence protein expression and thus produce a training effect.
• Aerobic training
  • Goal - to improve VO2max. VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be used by an individual during exercise. VO2max is an excellent measure of aerobic fitness, because it determines the maximum amount of exercise that can be performed using aerobic metabolism alone.
  • Methods
    • Interval training
    • Long, slow, distance.
    • High-intensity, continuous
      

Training plans (all external links)

• Marathon (Hal Higdon's Site)
• Powerlifting (Tom McCullough)