Adult Muscle Stem Cells: Exploring the Links Between Systemic and Cellular Metabolism

• Published in: Frontiers in cell and developmental biology Vol. 7; p. 312
• Main Authors: Purohit, Gunjan, Dhawan, Jyotsna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06-12-2019
• Subjects: autophagy; Cell and Developmental Biology; fatty acid oxidation; glycolysis; metabolism; muscle stem cell; oxidative phosphorylation; metabolism; autophagy; fatty acid oxidation; muscle stem cell; oxidative phosphorylation; glycolysis
• ISSN: 2296-634X; 2296-634X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00312

Emerging evidence suggests that metabolites are important regulators of skeletal muscle stem cell (MuSC) function and fate. While highly proliferative in early life, MuSCs reside in adult skeletal muscle tissue in a quiescent and metabolically depressed state, but are critical for the homeostatic maintenance and regenerative response of the tissue to damage. It is well established that metabolic activity in MuSC changes with their functional activation, but the spatiotemporal links between physiological metabolism and stem cell metabolism require explicit delineation. The quiescent MuSC is defined by a specific metabolic state, which is controlled by intrinsic and extrinsic factors during physiological and pathological tissue dynamics. However, the extent of tissue and organismal level changes driven by alteration in metabolic state of quiescent MuSC is currently not well defined. In addition to their role as biosynthetic precursors and signaling molecules, metabolites are key regulators of epigenetic mechanisms. Emerging evidence points to metabolic control of epigenetic mechanisms in MuSC and their impact on muscle regenerative capacity. In this review, we explore the links between cell-intrinsic, tissue level, and systemic metabolic state in the context of MuSC metabolic state, quiescence, and tissue homeostasis to highlight unanswered questions.