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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Exciting milestone for npj Exercise Medicine & Health as it publishes its first articles under EIC @bluespotscience.bsky.social Delighted to serve as Editor for the Molecular Biology of Exercise Collection with Malene Lindholm & Zhen Yan www.nature.com/collections/... @natureportfolio.nature.com

nature.com

Molecular Biology of Exercise

Cutting-edge molecular and cellular research revealing how exercise drives adaptation, prevents chronic disease, and improves health.

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Reposted by Professor Adam P. Sharples

bluespotscience.bsky.social @bluespotscience.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today marks an exciting milestone as npj Exercise Medicine & Health publishes its first articles: www.nature.com/npjexercisem... Sincerel thanks to everyone for the amazing support. This is just the start of building a leading venue for high-quality research in exercise as medicine.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

New @npjExMedHealth Collection now open: Molecular Biology of Exercise @Nature_NPJ We welcome papers exploring the molecular & cellular mechanisms underpinning exercise adaptation in health, aging & disease nature.com/collections/... @Malene Lindholm @Zhen Yan @bluespotscience.bsky.social

nature.com

Molecular Biology of Exercise

Cutting-edge molecular and cellular research revealing how exercise drives adaptation, prevents chronic disease, and improves health.

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Reposted by Professor Adam P. Sharples

ECSS @ecssofficial.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

@nih-sport-sciences.bsky.social is inviting applications for an Associate Professor/Professor in Sport Nutrition position in the Department of Physical Performance. The application deadline is 18 August 2026. 🔗 For details, visit bit.ly/3Tm49Tm #WeAreSportScience #JobOpening #FacultyPosition

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Proud to be part of this work in @NatureAging A pan-tissue methylation atlas revealing how ageing blends conserved programs with tissue-specific epigenetic drift Huge credit to Nir Eynon & Macsue Jacques for an outstanding study! #Aging #Epigenetics www.nature.com/articles/s43...

nature.com

Meta-analysis of DNA methylation aging signatures in 17 human tissues - Nature Aging

Jacques and colleagues present a cross-tissue meta-analysis of DNA methylation aging, revealing conserved aging signatures and modifiable gene clusters.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Led by Jaakko Hentilä, Max Ullrich, Riikka Kivelä & Jarna Hannukainen!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

New preprint! doi.org/10.64898/202... In BMI-discordant twins we integrate multi-omics across adipose & muscle Exercise reprograms adipose, shifting heavier twins towards a leaner baseline. Muscle improves insulin sensitivity & key molecular adaptations Amazing job: Jaakko Hentilä & Max Ullrich

doi.org

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Lovely visit @gihsweden for our Nordic muscle meeting! Great discussions with our founding members- Truls Raastad, @juhahulmi.bsky.social, Kristian Vissing, Niklas Psilander & great to talk muscle with Johanna Lanner @ferdinandvw.bsky.social & Lukas Moesgaard. Love the name of the Western lab!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

1 week left to apply! We are recruiting a Post‑Doc in Skeletal Muscle Molecular Physiology, Oslo, Norway Join our EMMA multi‑omics project on mitochondrial epigenetic memory in human muscle ageing. 4‑year position. Start May 2026. Apply: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

jobbnorge.no

Experienced Post-Doc in Skeletal Muscle Molecular Physiology and Epigenetics (296037) | The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Job title: Experienced Post-Doc in Skeletal Muscle Molecular Physiology and Epigenetics (296037), Employer: The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences , Deadline: Wednesday, March 11, 2026

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Grateful to the full team and collaborators: Raastad, Jarvis, Bodine, @hughesdc-muscle.bsky.social, Owens, Treebak, Dalbram, Ullrich, Christiansen, Sutherland, Boot, Wozniak, Mein, Seynnes, Hallen, Dalen and Ødemark Special thanks to amazing researcher Daniel Turner!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Thanks to the Research Council of Norway (RCN 314157) for funding this work Huge thanks to all participants who volunteered to lose muscle (twice!) so we could understand how muscle responds to repeated disuse

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Young muscle = full recovery and transcriptional resilience to repeated atrophy Aged muscle = impaired recovery, exaggerated molecular suppression to repeated atrophy Muscle remembers disuse, and age may determine whether that memory protects or harms

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

In aged rats, repeated atrophy caused the strongest reductions in mitochondrial gene expression and mtDNA content Even when physical activity was restored, aged muscle could not recover mtDNA content

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

In young adults, mitochondrial genes recovered during reloading, but repeated atrophy still reduced citrate synthase and mtDNA content Young muscle is resilient, but repeated disuse may still increase mitochondrial vulnerability over time

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

NAD+metabolism was highly affected NMRK2 was consistently downregulated across atrophy periods Aged muscle showed the largest NAD+ losses Human muscle stem cells responded to supplementation of nicotinamide riboside with larger myotubes after atrophy

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

NR4A3 was the most downregulated gene & remained suppressed after initial disuse AChR subunit genes CHRNA1 & CHRND were epigenetically primed after atrophy, showing amplified hypomethylation in humans and stronger expression in both humans & rats after repeated atrophy

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Integrated DNA methylome & transcriptome data showed that aerobic metabolism & mitochondrial genes undergo coordinated hypermethylation & downregulation after disuse across species & age In humans, NR4A1 gained recovery‑phase hypermethylation that sustains its repression

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Comparing very old rats with previously published young rats found age was the key factor Young rats recover mass after atrophy; aged rats continue to lose it Only young muscle converts recovery into regrowth after loss

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Aged muscle showed the opposite pattern Repeated atrophy led to far more altered genes, with greater suppression of aerobic metabolism, mitochondrial & NAD‑related genes With activation of ECM, proteasomal & DNA‑damage pathways A detrimental molecular memory emerged with age

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Young human muscle showed strong transcriptional changes after the first atrophy, but these responses were attenuated after repeated disuse This suggests a protective molecular memory, especially in aerobic metabolism and mitochondrial genes

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

In aged animals, repeated disuse caused a greater loss of muscle mass and fibre size Unlike young muscle, aged muscle did not recover during the return to habitual activity during the recovery period, and demonstrated susceptibility to repeated atrophy

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

In young adults, two periods of leg immobilisation caused similar losses in muscle size and strength, and full recovery Physiologically, the repeated atrophy was not worse (except muscle quality), but the molecular responses told a different story….

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Our new study is now published in Advanced Science We show that skeletal muscle retains a molecular memory of disuse Young muscle shows transcriptional resilience Aged muscle shows exaggerated vulnerability advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Excited to share our Nordic project EMMA has been awarded ≈17M DKK from The Novo Nordisk Foundation We will study how aging reshapes epigenetic “memory” of mitochondrial function in muscle With Tinna Stevnsner & Kristian Vissing Proud to lead key aspects @NIH Norway Position announcement soon!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Nice feature in @theatlantic.com by @bonnietsui.bsky.social Our lab’s latest study reveals that skeletal muscle doesn’t just remember growth- it also remembers inactivity. Repeated disuse leaves a molecular imprint that shapes future responses. www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

theatlantic.com

A Different Type of ‘Muscle Memory’

Repeated exercise, or wasting, can change the way key genes work.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Special thanks to collaborators Jonathan Jarvis, Sue Bodine, @hughesdc-muscle.bsky.social, Daniel Owens, Truls Raastad, Jonas Treebek, Emilie Dalbram, Max Ullrich, Stian Christiansen, Hazel Sutherland, James Boot, Eva Wozniak and Charles Mein. As well as Olivier Seynnes, Jostein Hallen, Siri & Hege!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

So thankful to have been able to work closely with the incredible Daniel C. Turner who spearheaded all the experiments!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway (RCN - 314157). So grateful to all the participants who agreed to lose their muscle (twice!) and made this possible!

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Key takeaway: Muscle “remembers” disuse at the molecular level. Young muscle = transcriptional protection. Aged muscle = exaggerated transcriptional vulnerability. Epigenetic marks may in-part encode this memory.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation in human MuSCs post-atrophy improved myotube size Suggests NAD⁺ salvage may support recovery from atrophy (with more in-vivo work required to confirm!)

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

NAD⁺ biosynthesis gene NMRK2 was among the most downregulated genes after both atrophy periods. Reduced NAD⁺ levels and mtDNA loss was observed to be greatest after repeated atrophy in aged muscle.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

NR4A1 stayed suppressed during recovery with hypermethylation in young muscle. AChR genes (CHRNA1, CHRND) were epigenetically primed & upregulated after repeated disuse - suggesting a memory of atrophy in these genes.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

DNA methylome analyses revealed conserved hypermethylation of mitochondrial and aerobic metabolism genes across species after disuse atrophy. Some epigenetic marks were retained or exaggerated with repeated disuse.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

In aged rats, repeated disuse led to greater muscle loss. Despite transcriptional recovery after initial atrophy, aged muscle showed an exaggerated transcriptional suppression after repeated disuse suggesting a detrimental molecular memory.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

In young adults, repeated immobilization caused similar muscle loss as initial disuse. However, the transcriptional response was blunted-especially in aerobic metabolism & mitochondrial genes. Suggests a protective molecular memory characterised by transcriptional attenuation.

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Professor Adam P. Sharples @profadamsharples.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

First post on Blue Sky New pre-print! Does muscle remember disuse muscle wasting? Our new study shows skeletal muscle retains a molecular memory of disuse! Young muscle shows transcriptional resilience to repeated atrophy. Aged muscle shows exaggerated susceptibility. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

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Reposted by Professor Adam P. Sharples

Kevin Murach @kevinmurachphd.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

A heavy lift from a literal strongman, PhD candidate PJ Koopmans “The Age-Dependent Resident Myonuclear Multi-Omic Response to a Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophic Stimulus” 💪🏻 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Professor Adam P. Sharples

Dave Hughes @hughesdc-muscle.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Played a small part in this project, but there some really interesting and cool findings from the Sharples Lab here. Focus on the memory of repeat muscle atrophy in human skeletal muscle 💪

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