Identifying signals from the skeletal muscle niche that regulate satellite cell function

Skeletal muscle is the most common tissue in the body. Its continued maintenance and regeneration throughout life is essential to the function of the organism. Satellite cells are critical to regeneration of the skeletal muscle and strategies to improve function of satellite cells are of great importance. Muscle-resident Fibro-Adipogenic Precursors (FAPs) cells are a critical component of the satellite cell niche and help orchestrate efficient muscle regeneration and potentiate satellite cell differentiation via soluble or secreted factors. Populations with similar phenotype and function to muscle FAPs have been isolated from the skin and white adipose tissue. Interactions between tissue-specific FAP cells and resident stem cells in those tissues might be conserved. Therefore, defining specific factors that mediate the relationship between muscle FAPs and satellite cells would have implications for other organs. Overall design: Use parabiosis as a model to determine if muscle FAPs can enter cross-circulation. Perform RNA sequencing of muscle and lung FAPs to identify transcripts that stimulate satellite cell differentiation