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Molecular Exercise Adaptation Lab (Tatsuro Egawa)
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The lab investigates how muscles change with exercise and the glycation stress that hinders this.
AboutAbout the lab
Exercise adaptation, from molecules to society
The lab studies, at the molecular and cellular levels, the mechanisms by which skeletal muscle changes through exercise, aging, nutrient intake, and other factors.
Starting from familiar questions such as "Why is exercise good for health?" and "Why do muscles weaken with age?", the lab takes on the mysteries of exercise and muscle.
Centered on aging and glycation stress, the lab examines mechanisms that hinder skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise, as well as food components and physical stimuli for people who find exercise difficult.
Beginning with elucidating the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle adaptation, the lab aims to realize a society in which everyone can enjoy sports.
Key terms
- AMPK
- An enzyme known as an energy sensor (5'AMP-activated protein kinase)
- Glycation stress
- A state in which sugars and their metabolites react non-enzymatically with proteins and other molecules, and the resulting products impair the functioning of the body
- Advanced glycation end products
- Representative substances formed in the course of glycation stress, abbreviated AGEs. They intensify inflammation and other effects via the receptor RAGE
ResearchResearch themes
Skeletal muscle has "adaptability": it flexibly changes its structure, metabolism, and function in response to training and changes in exercise habits. The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms that underlie this adaptation, and explores factors that hinder the effects of exercise as well as alternatives to exercise.
*Illustrative imageHow skeletal muscle adapts to exercise
The lab studies the intracellular signaling molecules that underlie the adaptability of skeletal muscle. It has shown that AMPK, an energy sensor, is involved in muscle cell hypertrophy, in the progression of disuse muscle atrophy, and in regrowth after atrophy. It is now also analyzing how DNA sensing and primary cilia affect adaptation during exercise.
*Illustrative imageGlycation stress and exercise resistance
The lab focuses on glycation stress caused by aging and lifestyle as a factor in "exercise resistance," in which the effects of exercise are hard to obtain. It analyzes at the cellular and molecular levels how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) affect the structure and function of skeletal muscle and its adaptation to exercise, and will also look for ways to overcome these effects.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping alternatives to exercise
For people for whom exercise is difficult because of aging, disease, or disability, the lab conducts basic research on food components and physical stimuli that can provide part of the effects of exercise instead. It has shown that components such as caffeine, as well as heat stimulation, promote glucose transport in skeletal muscle, and has recently also focused on methods using mild hyperbaric oxygen exposure.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Molecular Exercise Adaptation Lab consist of faculty, collaborating faculty, doctoral and master's students, and collaborators.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTatsuro Egawa
- Assistant ProfessorAi Takemura
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Blausen 0801 SkeletalMuscle” BruceBlaus. When using this image in external sources it can be cited as: Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN . / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- How skeletal muscle adapts to exercise: “PGC-1 alpha and Exercise cross-talk” Christoph Handschin and Regula Furrer (National Library of Medicine) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Glycation stress and exercise resistance: “AGE Reader mu” Jasper Dijkstra / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Developing alternatives to exercise: “Hyperbaric-oxygen-chamber-open” Hyperbaric Center of Queens / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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（土屋 徹） ): “CyanobacteriaColl1” Christian Fischer / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (環境地球科学研究室): “Fish otolith on sectioning saw - USGS” Dona Eidam/USGS / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (微細藻類系統分類学
（宮下 英明） ): “Cyanobacteria Under Light Microscope 40x Mag” Iceclanl / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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