Researchers pinpoint enzyme associated with energy

Ed Yeates reportingUtah scientists have pinpointed the enzyme that kicks off a whole series of molecular events in our body that lets us -- like the Energizer bunny -- keep going, and going, and going!

Why can the body get better and better at running or exercising the more we do it? "Duh," you say! Muscles simply strengthen the more we use them. But there's more to the mechanism than meets the eye.

A BYU research team has pinpointed the enzyme known as AMPK that sends a signal to the master switch, if you will. The enzyme turns on that protein switch, called CREB, which in turn dramatically increases what are called muscle mitochondria.

The molecular engine turns on, burning fat and glucose. This molecular networking, if you will, is unique. The more we exercise, the more stamina we have and the longer we can go without tiring.

A marathon runner does it. So do we, on a smaller scale.

Brigham Young University's Dr. William Winder said, "If you exercise somewhere around two hours a day, that will produce the maximum increase in mitochondria."

Pinpointing the triggering enzyme called AMPK is just the beginning. Like a car engine, the body engine has a lot of pumps and valves and batteries that fire it up.

"How does the machine work?" asks Dr. Winder. "And then once we know how it works, we can design, say pharmaceuticals, to mimic the normal effect of contraction."

For diabetics, new generation drugs mimicking muscle contraction could help get the glucose out of their blood. And for other diseases?

BYU's Dr. David Thomson said, "If AMPK can activate CREB in other tissues, yes, there's implications in terms of memory and implications in the heart, in terms of remodeling the heart and heart disease."

On a practical level, with mechanisms aside, this latest study again targets the simple benefits of exercise for mind and body.

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