ReviewAging cell2016
Does skeletal muscle have an 'epi'-memory? The role of epigenetics in nutritional programming, metabolic disease, aging and exercise.
Review in Aging cell, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 182 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenetic mechanisms in Tendon Ageing.British medical bulletin · 2020Pooled it
- Transcriptomic profiling of skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise and inactivity.Nature communications · 2020Pooled it
- Epigenetic changes in healthy human skeletal muscle following exercise- a systematic review.Epigenetics · 2019Pooled it
- DNA methylation alterations in muscle of critically ill patients.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2022Trial
- Impact of aerobic exercise and fatty acid supplementation on global and gene-specific DNA methylation.Epigenetics · 2019Trial
- Improvement in muscular strength and aerobic capacities in elderly people occurs independently of physical training type or exercise model.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2019Trial
- Multi-omics identifies promoter methylation and gene expression changes associated with human skeletal muscle atrophy.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- The Motor Neuromuscular Axis: The Overlooked Element of Developmental Programming in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Repeated Disuse Atrophy Imprints a Molecular Memory in Skeletal Muscle: Transcriptional Resilience in Young Adults and Susceptibility in Aged Muscle.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Impact of obesity and an obesogenic environment on cardiotoxin-induced damage and recovery of human myotubes.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Correlation of molecular and cellular signatures in primary skeletal muscle satellite cells derived from lean and diet-induced obese mice.In vitro cellular & developmental biology. Animal · 2026Article
- Endurance training increases a ubiquitylated form of histone H3 in the skeletal muscle, supporting Notch1 upregulation in an MDM2-dependent manner.The Journal of physiology · 2025Article
- Adaptive thermogenesis driving catch-up fat during weight regain: a role for skeletal muscle hypothyroidism and a risk for sarcopenic obesity.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2025Review
- Skeletal Muscle Memory: An Update From the Antidoping Perspective.Drug testing and analysis · 2025Review
- A history of omics discoveries reveals the correlates and mechanisms of loading-induced hypertrophy in adult skeletal muscle. 2024 CaMPS young investigator award invited review.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2025Review
- The effect of exercise and physical activity on skeletal muscle epigenetics and metabolic adaptations.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Review
- Epigenetic modifications in follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer: new dimensions in pathogenesis and treatment.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Review
- Molecular aspects of the exercise response and training adaptation in skeletal muscle.Free radical biology & medicine · 2024Review
- DNA methylation of exercise-responsive genes differs between trained and untrained men.BMC biology · 2024Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Skeletal muscle mass, quality and adaptability are fundamental in promoting muscle performance, maintaining metabolic function and supporting longevity and healthspan. Skeletal muscle is programmable and can 'remember' early-life metabolic stimuli affecting its function in adult life. In this review, the authors pose the question as to whether skeletal muscle has an 'epi'-memory? Following an initial encounter with an environmental stimulus, we discuss the underlying molecular and epigenetic mechanisms enabling skeletal muscle to adapt, should it re-encounter the stimulus in later life. We also define skeletal muscle memory and outline the scientific literature contributing to this field. Furthermore, we review the evidence for early-life nutrient stress and low birth weight in animals and human cohort studies, respectively, and discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms culminating in skeletal muscle dysfunction, metabolic disease and loss of skeletal muscle mass across the lifespan. We also summarize and discuss studies that isolate muscle stem cells from different environmental niches in vivo (physically active, diabetic, cachectic, aged) and how they reportedly remember this environment once isolated in vitro. Finally, we will outline the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle memory and review the epigenetic regulation of exercise-induced skeletal muscle adaptation, highlighting exercise interventions as suitable models to investigate skeletal muscle memory in humans. We believe that understanding the 'epi'-memory of skeletal muscle will enable the next generation of targeted therapies to promote muscle growth and reduce muscle loss to enable healthy aging.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.