By Gabe Sanders PhD, NSCA-CSCS
By now, you have likely heard of stem cells. Stem cells can transform into various cell types that make up our organs and tissues and therefore have regenerative properties. They have the unique ability to repair damaged tissues and are fundamental in some medical treatments for chronic diseases.
Recently, scientists have made remarkable progress by altering regular skin cells into primitive muscle stem cells. What does this mean? It could lead to new methods to treat muscle-related diseases and enhance muscle health.
The protein MyoD
Traditionally, researchers have converted a type of skin cell known as fibroblasts into muscle fibers using a protein called MyoD, using a common method called transcription factor-induced reprogramming. A recent breakthrough goes even further as researchers discovered that by tweaking specific cell signals with small molecules and the protein MyoD, these skin cells could be reprogrammed into muscle stem cells, which are essential for muscle repair and regeneration.
The ability to create cells that so closely mimic natural muscle cells marks an exciting development in the field of regenerative medicine, offering hope for more effective treatments that can help people of all ages.
Exercise key role in regenerative medicine
Additionally, exercise can play a key role in regenerative medicine by promoting changes in cells that are vital for muscle health. These insights improve our understanding of how exercise-related proteins guide cell transformation, offering the potential to treat muscle degeneration and chronic diseases. Diseases such as muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and sarcopenia. Using therapies derived from one's own skin cells combined with exercise and physical activity could help slow down muscle loss as we age, or potentially help us generate new muscle.
Article’s Source
Yagi, Masaki, et al. “Dissecting dual roles of MyoD during lineage conversion to mature myocytes and myogenic stem cells.” Genes & Development 35.17-18 (2021): 1209-1228.
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