Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Development and Hypertrophy

Our lab is investigating the regulatory mechanisms that control skeletal muscle hypertrophy and fiber-type switching between the fast (glycolytic) and the slow (oxidative) programs. Specific signal transduction pathways are dedicated to the regulation of skeletal muscle hypertrophy, some of which are in common with the myocardium, while others are distinct. Specific signal transduction pathways also regulate the plasticity of skeletal muscle in its ability to adapt and switch between the fast and slow fiber-type programs. We are attempting to understand the signaling pathways that underlie various disease processes associated with muscular dystrophy. Our studies of skeletal muscle mostly utilize tissue-specific gene targeting in the mouse, as well as skeletal muscle myoblast cultures in vitro.