AI Summary
UC Irvine researchers have found a gene crucial for muscle repair and regeneration, which could lead to improved treatment for muscle disorders and injuries. The gene was discovered in muscle fibers that support human muscle stem cells after transplantation. This discovery brings us closer to developing "muscle in a dish" for disease treatment.
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene expressed during regeneration that is critical for muscle repair. The key human skeletal muscle gene was also found in a subset of muscle fibers that were able to support human muscle stem cells after transplantation.
Although skeletal muscle is one of the most regenerative organ systems, there exists a need to improve regeneration for the more than 400 chronic muscle disorders and injuries that present clinically, including rotator cuff injuries and certain muscle disorders like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) or congenital muscular dystrophy.
Michael H. Hicks, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at UCI School of Medicine, is the co-corresponding author of the study, along with April D. Pyle, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA.
The study Regenerating human skeletal muscle forms an emerging niche in vivo to support PAX7 cells, was published in November in Nature Cell Biology.
With our discovery, the development of “muscle in a dish” is one step closer to reality. We’ve been researching this for years, and it’s implication for treating disease and muscle disorders and tears are immense.”
Michael H. Hicks, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics at UCI School of Medicine
When confronted with an injury, our muscles naturally do a good job at repairing themselves. However, in severe injuries and genetic muscular diseases the muscle is unable to meet the demands of regenerating new tissues. Researchers