Numerous stimulatory growth factors that can influence muscle regeneration are known. Recently, it has been demonstrated that neutralization of muscle growth inhibitory factors, such as myostatin (Mstn; also known as growth differentiation factor 8, Gdf8), also leads to increased muscle regeneration in mdx mice that are known to have cycles of degeneration. However, the precise mechanism by whi...

Skeletal muscle regenerates after injury. Tissue remodelling, which takes place during muscle regeneration, is a complex process involving proteolytic enzymes. It is inferred that micro and milli calpains are involved in the protein turnover and structural adaptation associated with muscle myolysis and reconstruction. Using a whole-crush injured skeletal muscle, we previously have shown that in...

During muscle regeneration, the transcription factor Pax7 stimulates the differentiation of satellite cells (SCs) toward the muscle lineage but restricts adipogenesis. Here, we identify HDAC4 as a regulator of Pax7-dependent muscle regeneration. In HDAC4deficient SCs, the expression of Pax7 and its target genes is reduced. We identify HDAC4-regulated Lix1 as a Pax7 target gene required for SC p...

Muscle regeneration requires CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) expression on bone marrow-derived cells; macrophages are a prominent CCR2-expressing cell in this process. CCR2-/- mice have severe impairments in angiogenesis, macrophage recruitment, and skeletal muscle regeneration following cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced injury. However, multiple chemokines activate CCR2, including monocyte chemotactic ...

The marbling of skeletal muscle by ectopic adipose tissue is a hallmark of many muscle diseases, including sarcopenia and muscular dystrophies, and generally associates with impaired muscle regeneration. Although the etiology and the molecular mechanisms of ectopic adipogenesis are poorly understood, fatty regeneration can be modeled in mice using glycerol-induced muscle damage. Using comprehen...

Regeneration of adult skeletal muscle following injury occurs through the activation of satellite cells, an injury-sensitive muscle stem cell population that proliferates, differentiates, and fuses with injured myofibers. Members of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) family of transcription factors play essential roles in muscle differentiation during embryogenesis, but their potential contri...

After skeletal muscle injury, neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages infiltrate the damaged area; this is followed by rapid proliferation of myoblasts derived from muscle stem cells (also called satellite cells). Although it is known that inflammation triggers skeletal muscle regeneration, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, we show that granulocy...

Skeletal muscle regeneration mainly depends on satellite cells, a population of resident muscle stem cells. Despite extensive studies, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the early events associated with satellite cell activation and myogenic commitment in muscle regeneration remains still incomplete. Cripto is a novel regulator of postnatal skeletal muscle regeneration and a promi...

How resident stem cells and their immediate progenitors rebuild tissues of pre-injury organization and size for proportional regeneration is not well understood. Using 3D, time-lapse intravital imaging for direct visualization of the muscle regeneration process in live mice, we report that extracellular matrix remnants from injured skeletal muscle fibers, "ghost fibers," govern muscle stem/prog...

Skeletal muscle has an ability to regenerate in response to injury due to the presence of satellite cells. Injury in skeletal muscle causes infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1 macrophages) to remove necrotic myofibers, followed by their differentiation into anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2 macrophages) to terminate the inflammation. Since both M1 and M2 macrophages play important ...