Molecular Insights From Multiomics Studies of Physical Activity

Abstract

Physical activity confers systemic health benefits and provides powerful protection against disease. There has been tremendous interest in understanding the molecular effectors of exercise that mediate these physiologic effects. The modern growth of multiomics technologies—including metabolomics, proteomics, phosphoproteomics, lipidomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and epigenomics—has provided unparalleled opportunities to systematically investigate the molecular changes associated with physical activity on an organism-wide scale. Here, we discuss how multiomics technologies provide new insights into the systemic effects of physical activity, including the integrative responses across organs as well as the molecules and mechanisms mediating tissue communication during exercise. We also highlight critical unanswered questions that can now be addressed using these high-dimensional tools and provide perspectives on fertile future research directions.