Regulation of skeletal muscle protein synthesis by amino acid and resistance exercise

The maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is very important for the prevention of life style-related diseases and the improvement of quality of life. It is well-known that resistance exercise and nutrition (especially amino acids) are the most effective interventions for maintaining skeletal muscle mass. It has been reported that many molecules are involved in the regulation of protein synthesis in response to resistance exercise and nutrition. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating muscle protein synthesis is crucial for the development of appropriate interventions. The role of intracellular signaling pathways through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a serine/threonine protein kinase in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis, has been extensively investigated for these years. Control of protein synthesis by mTOR is mediated through phosphorylation of downstream targets that modulate translation initiation and elongation step. In contrast, upstream mediators regulating mTOR and protein synthesis in response to resistance exercise and amino acid still needed to be determined. In this brief review, we discuss the current progress of intracellular mechanisms for exercise- and amino acid-induced activation of mTOR pathways and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.