Molecular And Cellular Basis For Muscle Regeneration In Zebrafish.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$541,104.00
Summary
Muscle repair occurs via the use of muscle stem cells, which provide skeletal muscle with its regenerative capacity. Muscle stem cells are particularly important in muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophies where muscle regeneration is an important factor in disease progression. We will identify the processes controlling muscle regeneration utilising zebrafish as a model organism. We hope this research will lead to an understanding of how muscle stem cells are generated.
Maintenance of skeletal muscle integrity is critical for normal locomotor function. During adulthood skeletal muscle mass and strength is progressively lost which leads to locomotor impairment common in the elderly. Loss of skeletal muscle may also contribute to functional impairment in patients with inherited disorders of the scaffolding connective tissue that hold muscle fibres together, such as Duchenne's dystrophy. Understanding the biology of muscle cell growth and responses to environmenta ....Maintenance of skeletal muscle integrity is critical for normal locomotor function. During adulthood skeletal muscle mass and strength is progressively lost which leads to locomotor impairment common in the elderly. Loss of skeletal muscle may also contribute to functional impairment in patients with inherited disorders of the scaffolding connective tissue that hold muscle fibres together, such as Duchenne's dystrophy. Understanding the biology of muscle cell growth and responses to environmental stresses such as exercise and ageing is, therefore, critical to healthy daily functioning. In preliminary studies we have defined a novel biochemical pathway which we believe underlies the ability of muscle to grow larger and stronger. In this application, we propose to rigorously evaluate the role of this pathway in muscle growth by experiments performed both with cell culture models and in animals. The findings of this study would have direct therapeutic benefit for a large number of major clinical conditions, such as heart failure, age-related muscular weakness and muscle diseases.Read moreRead less