Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery

1. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery Leeza Shashkova 30 July 2013

2. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • Athletes have long blamed lactic acid as the source of their soreness • At a person’s point of maximum intensity in a workout or race, their body produces lactic acid to use for energy • Scientists assumed that since this occurs at maximum intensity, it must be the source of delayed onset muscles soreness or DOMS

3. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • The real source of soreness and fatigue is the build up of hydrogen ions in muscles • During strenuous exercise, muscles undergo high rates of ATP hydrolysis, the process whereby chemical energy that has been stored in ATP molecules is released to be used for muscle work. • This causes the release of hydrogen cations

4. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • Hydrogen ions lower muscles pH causing burning and tiredness • The body naturally removes hydrogen ions with muscles buffer, chemicals that absorb protons • Athletes can increase buffer capacity with intense training

5. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • A major ingredient of muscles buffer is carnosine • Beta-alanine, a beta amino acid, augments the amount of muscle carnosine • Therefore, beta-alanine can be used to help flush out hydrogen ions so muscles can recover faster

6. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid produces by the body • To maximize muscles potential, athletes take beta-alanine supplements to increase carnosine levels

7. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery

8. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • The purpose of this design is to produce beta-alanine during intense exercise to help muscles recover • It contains a transcription factor, promoter, enzyme and a transporter

9. ASCT-1 Beta-alanine HIF1A Amino Acid Transporter L-aspartate-alpha-decarboxylase lacZ Transcription Factor Promoter Enzyme Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery Transcription Factor: HIF1A The transcription factor is from the hypoxia-inducible factor family. During strenuous exercise, the muscles lack oxygen and become hypoxic environments. The transcription factor is present when in a hypoxic environment.

10. ASCT-1 Beta-alanine HIF1A Amino Acid Transporter L-aspartate-alpha-decarboxylase lacZ Transcription Factor Promoter Enzyme Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery Promoter: lacZ The promoter is a lacZ promoter which expresses the panD gene. The panD gene encodes the L-aspartate-alpha-decarboxylase enzyme which accelerates the production of beta-alanine in Escherichia coli.

11. ASCT-1 Beta-alanine HIF1A Amino Acid Transporter L-aspartate-alpha-decarboxylase lacZ Transcription Factor Promoter Enzyme Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery Transporter: ASCT-1 The ASCT-1 transporter is an alanine transporter that transports beta-alanine out of the bacteria and to the muscles.

12. O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 Oxygen is present, bacteria is off. Oxygen is lacking, bacteria is turned on so it produces and releases beta-alanine. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery

13. Bacteria that Aid Athletes in Muscle Recovery • This bacterium could be the future of athlete supplementation, because it eliminates the need for oral supplements and gives athlete-specific doses