Semester of Graduation

Spring 2021

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Aging is associated with progressing cellular structural and functional changes, and sedentary behavior can exacerbate these hallmarks of aging. Routine exercise is known to have beneficial effects on physiological systems, but the exact molecular mechanisms behind the health benefits are unclear. Emerging evidence suggests extracellular vesicles called exosomes are involved in the intercommunication between cells and organs following exercise by delivering their cargo such as proteins and miRNAs. miRNA profiles in older adults following acute and chronic exercise need further exploration. Specifically, the effects of regular low-intensity physical activity (LPA) breaks in sedentary time on proteins and miRNA packaged in exosomes need further investigation. However, the validation of exosome isolation and RNA and protein profiling methods is crucial before investigating potential exercise-induced changes in older adults, so this study evaluated and validated methods to isolate and characterize exosome profiles. The exosomes were isolated by the Izon size exclusion chromatography (SEC) columns and characterized by tunable resistance pulse sensing (TRPS), Western Blot, dot blot, and a surface protein, flow cytometric multiplexing kit. The exosome isolations were pure and enriched and compatible with the other assays. The RNA isolation did not work, so miRNA data could not be collected. Some assay optimization is still required to address the variability in results, and the RNA isolation issues need to be resolved before continuing with future research. Additionally, a larger sample size and a non-exercising control group will help better interpret the results and potentially provide more statistically significant changes in response to the exercise training interventions.

Committee Chair

Irving, Brian

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.5265

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