Stem cell metabolism: a crucial link for muscle regeneration?

Researchers from the Centre for Muscle Research publish review in Cell Metabolism

The use of stem cells, including muscle stem cells, in regenerative medicine offers significant hope for the treatment of a range of diseases and injuries.

A long-term focus of the Centre for Muscle Research, located in the School of Biomedical Sciences, has been in muscle stem cell research, with the aim to understand how the potential of these cells can be harnessed to aid the repair of injured muscle.

Dr Hai Ly, Dr James Ryall, and Professor Gordon Lynch from the Centre, recently published an invited review in the prestigious research journal, Cell Metabolism, titled “A Metabolic Roadmap for Somatic Stem Cell Fate ”. Looking at how nutrients and stress affect the ability of muscle stem cells to be effectively activated for muscle repair, the research includes the novel hypothesis that DNA interacting proteins called, histones, may act as an energy reservoir during times of energy stress.

This comprehensive review should have a major impact on the field of stem cell research - and help guide the direction of where the field of muscle regeneration should focus in the future.

Find out more about the Centre for Muscle Research and the Department of Physiology.

Read more about muscle stem cells in a previous review from the Centre here.