This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 677, and undergraduate course at UW-Madison.
Gene Expression and Microarray
Previous studies have demonstrated the expression levels of the KCNQ1 gene, although I focused mostly within the heart the microarray below focuses on exercise and KCNQ1 levels within skeletal muscles. Below I will discuss the microarray data that has been previously completed. [1]
Analysis
This graph shows human microarray data from a previous experiment. Specifically, RNA samples for patients that previously sedentary compared to those after 20 weeks of endurance training. Based on the data in this graph, it was observed that the KCNQ1 gene expression levels after 20 weeks of exercise were lower than compared to the baseline of sedentary individuals. This seems very strange as I would expect quite the opposite to be shown. I feel that there would be a higher expression level of KCNQ1 during the exercise period as the heart is working faster and skeletal muscle is growing faster than when sitting and not doing anything. Perhaps this may be a clue that there is less KCNQ1 expression during exercise and that the KCNQ1 protein that is found within the cells are working more efficiently and are staying alive longer than when people just sit around. These results could lead to future research to see what role exercise plays in Long QT Syndrome and if there are ways for those people to exercise without risk of having a heart attack and dying.