Epigenetic control of exercise adaptations in the equine athlete: Current evidence and future directions.
Authors: Denham Joshua, McCluskey Michael, Denham Michele M, Sellami Maha, Davie Allan J
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Whilst selective breeding over three centuries has produced distinct equine athletes—from power-focused draught breeds to speed-optimised Thoroughbreds—our understanding of how exercise triggers the molecular adaptations underlying athletic performance remains incomplete. Denham and colleagues conducted a comprehensive literature review of epigenetic mechanisms in equine exercise physiology, examining how DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNA regulation control the transcriptional responses to training at the molecular level. The review consolidates emerging evidence that exercise-induced epigenetic changes play a crucial role in cardiorespiratory adaptation and muscular development, though significant gaps remain in our knowledge of breed-specific epigenetic responses and the molecular basis of common athletic ailments. For equine professionals involved in conditioning, the findings underscore that athletic adaptation is fundamentally controlled at the genetic expression level rather than through genetics alone, suggesting that training protocols may trigger adaptive pathways differently depending on an individual horse's epigenetic profile. Further research specifically investigating epigenetic modifications in relation to exercise tolerance, injury susceptibility and breed-specific performance traits could ultimately inform more targeted, evidence-based approaches to conditioning programmes and early identification of horses predisposed to exercise-related pathologies.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Understanding epigenetic control of exercise adaptations may enable better prediction and management of athletic performance and injury susceptibility in individual horses
- •Future research linking epigenetic markers to performance traits could inform breeding decisions and personalized training programs for competitive horses
- •Epigenetic profiling may help identify horses at risk for exercise-related ailments common in athletic breeds, allowing preventive management strategies
Key Findings
- •Epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNAs regulate molecular responses to exercise in horses
- •Athletic breeds have undergone 300 years of artificial selection for specific traits affecting muscular power and running performance
- •Exercise-induced epigenetic and transcriptional changes in horses are only beginning to be comprehensively investigated at the molecular level
- •Current knowledge gaps exist regarding the connection between epigenetic modifications and exercise-related traits and ailments in athletic horse breeds