Mechanisms of regulation of skeletal muscle mass and growth

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Apart from their commonly appreciated roles in helping us to move, our skeletal muscles also play significant roles in the way our bodies use food nutrients. Therefore optimal muscle mass and metabolism are critical to normal body functions. The focus of my research program is the basic understanding of the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and growth. In the past few years, we have been studying the roles and regulation of a protein complex called the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). This complex regulates muscle mass and protein metabolism in part by regulating a crucial phase in the protein synthetic pathway called mRNA translation. We have shown that disruption of muscle protein metabolism seen when animals or muscle cells are deprived of nutrients can be traced to reduced functions of this pathway. Muscle mass can be regulated by controlling the growth of each muscle cell and/or the number of cells. Crucially, there is little information on the regulation of mTORC1 and its substrates during myogenesis, a process required not only during development but also during muscle repair. It is also not known if specific amino acids (derived from our diets) called branched-chain amino acids, play a role in myogenesis. These amino acids are potent regulators of muscle protein synthesis and mass. Recently, we observed increased abundance of a number of mTORC1 substrates during the transition from myoblast (proliferating muscle cells) to myotubes (non proliferating muscle cells). To gain a deeper understanding of the roles, mechanisms of actions and regulation of mTORC1 in regulating muscle cell differentiation, the short-term objectives of my research program in the next 5 years are: