Role Of Stem Cells In Skeletal Muscle Development Regeneration Repair Aging And Disease

Adult stem cells are responsible for tissue regeneration and repair throughout life. Their quiescence or activation are tightly regulated by common signalling pathways that often recapitulate those happening during embryonic development, and thus it is important to understand their regulation not only in postnatal life, but also during foetal development. In this regard, skeletal muscle is an interesting tissue since it accounts for a large percentage of body mass (about 40%), it is highly amenable to intervention through exercise and it is also key in metabolic and physiological changes underlying frailty susceptibility in the elderly. While muscle-resident satellite cells are responsible for all myogenic activity in physiological conditions and become senescent in old age, other progenitor cells such as mesoangioblasts do seem to contribute to muscle regeneration and repair after tissue damage. Similarly, fibro-adipogenic precursor cells seem to be key in the aberrant response that fills up the space left from atrophied muscle mass and which ends up with a dysfunctional muscle having vast areas of fatty infiltration and fibrosis. The complex interplay between these stem/progenitor cell types and their niches in normal and pathological conditions throughout life are the subjects of intense investigation. This eBook highlights recent developments on the role of stem cells in skeletal muscle function, both in prenatal and postnatal life, and their regulation by transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms. Additionally, it includes articles on interventions associated with exercise, pathological changes in neuromuscular diseases, and stem cell aging.

Adult stem cells are responsible for tissue regeneration and repair throughout life. Their quiescence or activation are tightly regulated by common signalling pathways that often recapitulate those happening during embryonic development, and thus it is important to understand their regulation not only in postnatal life, but also during foetal development. In this regard, skeletal muscle is an interesting tissue since it accounts for a large percentage of body mass (about 40%), it is highly amenable to intervention through exercise and it is also key in metabolic and physiological changes underlying frailty susceptibility in the elderly. While muscle-resident satellite cells are responsible for all myogenic activity in physiological conditions and become senescent in old age, other progenitor cells such as mesoangioblasts do seem to contribute to muscle regeneration and repair after tissue damage. Similarly, fibro-adipogenic precursor cells seem to be key in the aberrant response that fills up the space left from atrophied muscle mass and which ends up with a dysfunctional muscle having vast areas of fatty infiltration and fibrosis. The complex interplay between these stem/progenitor cell types and their niches in normal and pathological conditions throughout life are the subjects of intense investigation. This eBook highlights recent developments on the role of stem cells in skeletal muscle function, both in prenatal and postnatal life, and their regulation by transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms. Additionally, it includes articles on interventions associated with exercise, pathological changes in neuromuscular diseases, and stem cell aging.

Since the middle of the last century we have progressively built up a comprehensive descriptive model of the allied mechanisms that maintain our muscles at a size and strength appropriate to the functional demands upon them and that rapidly repair damaged muscles. This volume is an assemblage of the collective experience from the pick of major research groups investigating these aspects of muscle cell biology. It provides up-to-date coverage and presents a broad range of topics.

This volume looks at the latest technologies and methods--combined with new genetic tools available in animal models--used in this constantly evolving field. The chapters in this book are organized into three sections: Section one covers muscle stem cells and progenitor cells; Section Two discusses animal models for muscle stem cells and regeneration; and Section Three explores bioinformatics and imaging analysis for muscle stem cells. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells and Regeneration: Methods and Protocols is a valuable tool for all researchers looking to expand their knowledge on skeletal muscle growth, repair, degeneration, aging, and regenerative medicine.

I am pleased to introduce this volume on Myoblast Transfer Therapy on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and all of its Advisory Committees. The international conference which led to this volume brought together leading basic scientists and clinical investigators for the purpose of coordinating the development of this new field in the fight against muscular dystrophy. The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the nation's most rapidly growing voluntary health agency in terms of its programs of patient care, research, and professional and public education. Success is attributable to its National Chairman, Jerry Lewis, to its effective corporate membership, and to the many physicians and scientists who give their time freely to advise on policies, to review grant applications, and to participate in meetings such as this. I should like to acknowledge a large number of other individuals to whom we are indebted: the broad segment of the American public which continually and generously supports our spectrum of services. The Muscular Dystrophy Association, next year, should raise in excess of $115,000,000. These contributions are derived from more than 10 million American families. These families are not only pledging their money but expressing their hopes that we will find answers to the tragic problem of neuromuscular disease. We are confident that the fruits of this meeting will move the frontier of research forward toward that goal.

In order to complete tissue regeneration, various cells (neuronal, skeletal and smooth) interact coordinately with each other. This book, Muscle Cell and Tissue - Current Status of Research Field, deals with current progress and perspectives in a variety of topics on the skeletal and smooth muscle, stem cells, regeneration, disease or therapeutics. Novel applications for cell and tissue engineering including cell therapy, tissue models and disease pathology modeling are introduced. This book also deals with the differentiation/de-differentiation process of vascular smooth muscle cells in health and disease. Furthermore, natural products to reverse metabolic syndromes are descriptively reviewed. These chapters can be interesting for graduate students, teachers, physicians, executives and researchers in the field of molecular biology and regenerative medicine.

The functionality of adult tissue stem cells from various organ systems declines during aging. This publication summarizes novel molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of aging-associated deficiencies as discussed by leading experts during the 5th Else Kröner-Fresenius Symposium. It is the first book that explicitly focuses on molecular mechanisms of stem cell aging and its consequences for disease and cancer development including both cell-intrinsic mechanisms as well as aging-induced alterations in the stem cell niche and the systemic environment. Cutting-edge information on stem cells, aging, cancer, and disease make this publication of special interest to basic researchers in the respective fields. Further, it is also intended for medical doctors in the fields of geriatrics, internal medicine, and cancer as it provides a novel understanding of the evolution of tissue dysfunction, diseases and cancer as a consequence of aging.