The molecular mechanisms mediating the cellular adaptations to exercise training in human skeletal muscle are very poorly understood. To investigate the effect of endurance training on the expression of various genes at the mRNA levels in human skeletal muscle, focusing on angiogeneic factors, antioxidant enzymes, and uncoupling proteins (UCPs), seven untrained male students underwent an intensive swimming training five times a week for 3 months and two male students an intensive running training, respectively. Muscle biopsies were taken before training and about 48 h after the last session. All the subjects markedly increased their maximal oxygen uptake levels due to training (P < 0.001), indicating an improvement in aerobic capacity. After training, there were significant (P < 0.04) decreases in the expression of mRNAs for heat shock protein 70, Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD), and Mn-SOD but a significant (P < 0.02) increase in UCP2 mRNA expression, whereas no definite changes were observed in the levels of mRNAs for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF1alpha), myoglobin, or UCP3. The changes in HIF1alpha mRNA expression correlated well with those in VEGF mRNA expression after training (r=0.875, P < 0.01), suggesting that HIF1alpha influences the training-induced VEGF gene expression or alternatively that VEGF and HIF1alpha expressions are coregulated at the transcriptional level in human skeletal muscle. Taken together, it is envisioned that cumulative effects of transient changes in transcription during recovery from successive bouts of exercise may represent the underlying kinetic basis for the cellular adaptations associated with endurance training.