Recurrent training rejuvenates and enhances transcriptome and methylome responses in young and older human muscle

Background The interaction between the muscle methylome and transcriptome is understudied during ageing and periods of resistance training in young, but especially older adults. More information is needed on the role of retained methylome training adaptations in muscle memory to understand muscle phenotypical and molecular restoration after inactivity or disuse. Methods We measured CpG methylation (microarray) and RNA expression (RNA sequencing) in young (n = 5; age = 22 ± 2 years) and older (n = 6; age = 65 ± 5 years) vastus lateralis muscle samples, taken at baseline, after 12 weeks of resistance training, after training interruption (2 weeks of leg immobilization in young men, 12 weeks of detraining in older men) and after 12 weeks of retraining to identify muscle memory‐related adaptations and rejuvenating effects of training. Results We report that of the 427 differentially expressed genes with advanced age (FDR