Aging Cell · Nov 9, 2026
Impaired Exercise‐Induced Mitophagy in Aged Muscle Coincides With Altered mitoAMPKα in Male Mice
By Amiri N, Nichenko AS, Churchill A et al.
We demonstrate that the capacity for acute exercise to induce mitophagy in skeletal muscle is impaired in old male mice and corresponds to a loss of mitoAMPKα. We present evidence of age‐dependent, exercise‐induced phosphorylation of AMPK at S491, which may predispose mitoAMPKα to degradation by the E3‐ubiquitin ligase Trim72. Our findings highlight the need to understand how aging alters spatial responses to energetic stressors, like exercise.