Grant: Undergraduate: Mobility, musculoskeletal health and arthritis - ICS

Stem cells in adult muscle play a key role in repairing injured fibers. While the many stages of muscle regeneration are well-characterized, we still don't understand how a muscle stem cell decides whether to maintain its identity as a stem cell, or to become a muscle cell to repair the fiber. Through genetic studies, we have identified two proteins that are required for stem cells to repair damaged muscle. These proteins are especially exciting as they are epigenetic enzymes that help determine which genes will be expressed in a cell. In this project, we will explore how these epigenetic proteins function in muscle repair in order to answer the question of how a cell decides to remain a stem cell versus becoming a muscle cell. The knowledge gained from these studies will be important to the development of new therapies to treat muscle degeneration in aging and disease.