Skeletal muscle biology

Skeletal muscle exhibits an enormous capacity to adapt to challenges. This is achieved by changes in the gene programs for the myofibrillar aparatus, mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism as well as adaptations of the neuromuscular junctions. The transcriptional co-activator PGC-1α is a key integrator of motor neuron signaling in skeletal muscle and controls the myofibrillar and the metabolic phenotype of muscle fibers. Having generated mouse models for both muscle-specific gain- and loss-of-function of PGC-1α, we now study the role for PGC-1α in skeletal muscle plasticity following acute and chronic exercise and disuse.