Research Description

The focus of our laboratory’s research is to unravel the intricacies of inflammation-associated epigenetic programming within satellite cells, the tissue-resident muscle stem cells (MuSCs). Satellite cells possess extensive regenerative capacity and depletion of MuSC pool during chronic inflammation impairs repair and regeneration of damaged muscle fibers, ultimately contributing to muscle loss. In various diseases inflammation is characterized by the infiltration of a repertoire of immune cells in to the muscle tissue. In the presence of inflammatory immune cells and their secreted cytokines, MuSCs undergo alterations in their gene expression patterns. Our previous studies demonstrated that epigenetic factors prime MuSCs for inflammation during muscle regeneration and that inflammatory cytokines in the niche epigenetically manipulate MuSC activation and exhibit selective proteome usage in the presence and absence of inflammatory cues. Using high-throughput genome-wide association studies and single-cell approaches, we aim to elucidate the transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulatory networks that govern MuSC maintenance in the context of inflammation.