Abstract
Locomotor performance is a key predictor of fitness in many animal species. As such, locomotion integrates the output of a number of morphological, physiological, and molecular levels of organization, yet relatively little is known regarding the major molecular pathways that bolster locomotor performance. One potentially relevant pathway is the insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network, a significant regulator of physiological processes such as reproduction, growth, and metabolism. Two primary hormones of this network, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) are important mediators of these processes and, consequently, of life-history strategies. We sprint-trained green anole (Anolis carolinensis) females to test the responsiveness of IGF1 and IGF2 hepatic gene expression to exercise training. We also tested how sprint training would affect glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2). The former is a crucial enzyme for glycolytic function in a cell, and the latter is necessary for protein synthesis. Resistance exercise forces animals to increase investment of resources towards skeletal muscle growth. Because IGF1 and IGF2 are important hormones for growth, and GAPDH and EEF2 are crucial for proper cellular function, we hypothesized that these four genes would be affected by sprint training. We found that sprint training affects IGF and EEF2 expression, such that larger sprint-trained lizards express hepatic IGF1, IGF2, and EEF2 to a lesser extent than similarly sized untrained lizards. These results demonstrate that the IIS, and pathways connected to it, can react in a size-dependent manner and are implicated in the exercise response in reptiles.