Skeletal muscle differentiation is a well-orchestrated process regulated by autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine factors via a regulatory network of signal transduction pathways. In recent years the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has begun to be recognized as a critical regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation, growth and hypertrophy. Work from our laboratory has contributed to the current understanding of mTOR regulation of myoblast differentiation, and has led to the revelation that mTOR regulates multiple stages of myogenesis by assembling distinct pathways, some of which unexpected and yet to be fully delineated. With a combination of biochemical, molecular, cellular and genetic approaches, and utilizing both in vitro and in vivo systems, we aim to fill a sizable gap in the current knowledge of molecular pathways underlying the regulation of skeletal myogenesis by addressing these three major questions: (1) How are the known components of growth-regulating mTOR pathway involved in myogenesis, and what is the mTOR pathway(s) that regulates the initiation of myoblast differentiation in response to amino acids availability signals? (2) What is the mTOR pathway that specifically regulates the second-stage myocyte fusion critical for myotube/myofiber growth and maturation, and which secreted factors regulate this process? (3) What is mTOR's role in muscle regeneration and what are the mechanisms? Our expertise in biochemical characterization of signal transduction mechanisms, our strong preliminary data, and the unique animal models we have created, put us in an ideal position to tackle those questions. Knowledge gained in these studies will contribute to the molecular understanding of skeletal muscle development, repair, regeneration and hypertrophy.

Public Health Relevance

Skeletal muscle differentiation is a well-orchestrated process regulated by autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine factors via multiple signal transduction pathways. Our proposed studies aim to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation and regeneration, with a focus on the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling network. Knowledge gained in these studies will contribute to the molecular understanding of skeletal muscle biology, which may have significant impact on health-related issues such as muscular dystrophy, aging or disease-induced muscle atrophy, muscle regeneration, and exercise- induced muscle hypertrophy.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR048914-09
Application #
8225405
Study Section
Skeletal Muscle and Exercise Physiology Study Section (SMEP)
Program Officer
Boyce, Amanda T
Project Start
2002-07-01
Project End
2014-02-28
Budget Start
2012-03-01
Budget End
2013-02-28
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$318,987
Indirect Cost
$109,899
Name
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department
Anatomy/Cell Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041544081
City
Champaign
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
61820
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Dutta, Debapriya; Lai, Kuan-Yu; Reyes-Ordoñez, Adriana et al. (2018) Lanthionine synthetase C-like protein 2 (LanCL2) is important for adipogenic differentiation. J Lipid Res 59:1433-1445
He, Chang; Zeng, Min; Dutta, Debapriya et al. (2017) LanCL proteins are not Involved in Lanthionine Synthesis in Mammals. Sci Rep 7:40980
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Waldemer-Streyer, R J; Chen, J (2015) Myocyte-derived Tnfsf14 is a survival factor necessary for myoblast differentiation and skeletal muscle regeneration. Cell Death Dis 6:e2026
Jain, Ankur; Arauz, Edwin; Aggarwal, Vasudha et al. (2014) Stoichiometry and assembly of mTOR complexes revealed by single-molecule pulldown. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111:17833-8

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