Stem Cell Environment and Skeletal Muscle Homeostasis
New functions for cells located in the microenvironment of muscle cells beside their canonical properties
Control of muscle stem cells and myofibers by their closest environment in both normal and pathological contexts
Already known pathways are the basis for expanding our current understanding about skeletal muscle homeostasis and its pathophysiology
Skeletal muscle is a highly adaptable tissue with well-known sensitivities to environmental cues such as growth factors, cytokines, nutrients and mechanical loading. Moreover, adult skeletal muscle exhibits great plasticity and has the unique capacity to regenerate after injury, due to the main muscle stem cells, the satellite cells. Satellite cells, and their progeny, the myogenic precursor cells, must develop proper interactions with their direct environment to ensure muscle regeneration and replenishment of the stem cell pool. The aim of our research is to understand the role of the environment (non-myogenic cells and molecular structures) in the regulation of skeletal muscle regeneration. Myogenic cell environment includes inflammatory cells and particularly macrophages, vessel cells (endothelial and peri-endothelial cells) and interstitial cells. Moreover, we aim at understanding the interactions between myogenic cells and their environment in various pathological situations.