Skip to main content
Human plasma proteomic profiles indicative of cardiorespiratory fitness NATURE METABOLISM Robbins, J. M., Peterson, B., Schranner, D., Tahir, U. A., Rienmueller, T., Deng, S., Keyes, M. J., Katz, D. H., Beltran, P., Barber, J. L., Baumgartner, C., Carr, S. A., Ghosh, S., Shen, C., Jennings, L. L., Ross, R., Sarzynski, M. A., Bouchard, C., Gerszten, R. E. 2021; 3 (6): 786-+

Abstract

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is a direct measure of human cardiorespiratory fitness and is associated with health. However, the molecular determinants of interindividual differences in baseline (intrinsic) VO2max, and of increases of VO2max in response to exercise training (?VO2max), are largely unknown. Here, we measure ~5,000 plasma proteins using an affinity-based platform in over 650 sedentary adults before and after a 20-week endurance-exercise intervention and identify 147 proteins and 102 proteins whose plasma levels are associated with baseline VO2max and ?VO2max, respectively. Addition of a protein biomarker score derived from these proteins to a score based on clinical traits improves the prediction of an individual's ?VO2max. We validate findings in a separate exercise cohort, further link 21 proteins to incident all-cause mortality in a community-based cohort and reproduce the specificity of ~75% of our key findings using antibody-based assays. Taken together, our data shed light on biological pathways relevant to cardiorespiratory fitness and highlight the potential additive value of protein biomarkers in identifying exercise responsiveness in humans.

View details for DOI 10.1038/s42255-021-00400-z

View details for Web of Science ID 000657702900001

View details for PubMedID 34045743