gene expression in FAPs isolated from skeletal muscle affected by immobilization in young and aged mice

The regenerative and adaptive capacity of skeletal muscle is known to weaken with age; leading to severe disability and frailty in the elderly. The goal of this study is to develop a treatment to ameliorate this undesirable condition in the elderly. In skeletal muscle, there are at least two distinct types of stem cells; muscle satellite cells (SCs) and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs). Recent studies indicate that FAPs are the primary regulators of the SC and muscle fiber function and thereby play a critical role in maintaining the skeletal muscle homeostasis and adaptability. However, the potential functions of FAPs in muscle atrophy were not fully understood. The aim of this experiment is to understand the potential involvement of FAPs in immobilization-induced muscle atrophy. We isolated FAPs from lower limbs muscles of young (2-3months) and aged (20-22months) mice on days 0, 3, and 14 after immobilization and performed transcriptome analysis.