Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41484100›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Acute exercise rewires the proteomic landscape of human immune cells.

David Walzik, Niklas Joisten, Alan J Metcalfe, Sebastian Proschinger, Alexander Schenk, Charlotte Wenzel, Alessa L Henneberg, Martin Schneider, Silvia Calderazzo, Andreas Groll and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. CCR2Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

David Walzik *Sports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9577-1435
Niklas Joisten *Sports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9947-8746
Alan J MetcalfeDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute of Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Sebastian ProschingerSports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.
Alexander SchenkSports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.
Charlotte WenzelSports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.
Alessa L HennebergGerman Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Division of Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), DKFZ Core Center Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9704-6045
Martin SchneiderProteomics Core Facility, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Silvia CalderazzoDivision of Biostatistics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Andreas GrollDepartment of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6787-9118
Carsten WatzlLeibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5195-0995
Christiane A OpitzGerman Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Division of Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), DKFZ Core Center Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5575-9821
Dominic HelmProteomics Core Facility, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9321-2069
Philipp ZimmerSports Medicine Research Group, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany. philipp.zimmer@tu-dortmund.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9631-4503

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The positive effect of exercise on the immune system is widely acknowledged, but the molecular response of immune cells to exercise remains largely unknown. Here, we perform mass-spectrometry-based proteomic analysis on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at a depth of >6000 proteins. Comparing high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE), matched for time and workload, we identify versatile changes in the proteomic makeup of PBMCs and reveal profound alterations, related to effector function and immune cell activation pathways within one hour following exercise. These changes are more pronounced after HIIE compared to MICE and occur despite identical immune cell mobilization patterns between the two exercise conditions. We further identify an immunoproteomic signature that effectively predicts cardiorespiratory fitness, thus allowing insights into potential exercise-triggered adaptations and immunological health benefits that are mediated by exercise. This study provides a reliable data resource that expands our knowledge on how exercise modulates the immune system, and delivers biological evidence supporting the WHO 2020 guidelines, which highlight exercise intensity as a relevant factor to maintain health.

Indexed as

ExerciseLeukocytes, MononuclearProteomeProteomicsAdultFemaleHigh-Intensity Interval TrainingHumansMaleYoung AdultProteome

Identifiers

PMID41484100
PMCPMC12775541

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.