# SATELLITE CELLS, MUSCLE GROWTH & REGENERATION POTENTIAL

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 1988 · $93,244

## Abstract

Skeletal muscle growth is accompanied by the proliferation and fusion of
satellite cells, a process which produces the required increase in
postmitotic myonuclei.  Satellite cells serve a dual function because in
addition to providing a source of myonuclei they also provide a source of
myoblasts for muscle regeneration.  Our aim is to examine the ways in which
satellite cell proliferation and fusion behavior is modified in vivo to
accommodate the different requirements for myonuclear accretion in muscles
that grow at markedly different rates and to obtain a better understanding
of the inter-relationships of growth and regeneration potential in this
cell population.  Cell cycle times, labeling indices, and fusion indices of
satellite cells will be measured in the rapidly growing soleus and slower
growing EDL using 3H and/or 14C labeled thymidine as markers.  Continuous
labeling experiments using 3H thymidine will be carried out to determine if
all of the satellite cell population is active in the production of
myonuclei or whether a portion of the population is held in reserve for
activation only in the event of muscle injury.  A second aspect will
examine the relationship between the number of satellite cells and the
efficiency of muscle regeneration.  Various lengths of the EDL muscle will
be killed by a freezing and thawing procedure.  The satellite cells in the
frozen portions will also be killed so the muscle regeneration that follows
is a product of only those cells remaining in the viable non-frozen
portion.  Since satellite cells are equally distributed along the length of
myofibers, the number of cells remaining in the viable portion of the
muscle can be estimated.  The aim is to determine what critical mass of
cells is required to regenerate a muscle.  The ability of implanted cells
to aid in the regeneration will also be examined.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3158388
- **Project number:** 5R01AR038033-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LCLSJAGTNZQ7
- **Principal Investigator:** EDWARD SCHULTZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $93,244
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-12-01 → 1989-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3158388

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3158388, SATELLITE CELLS, MUSCLE GROWTH & REGENERATION POTENTIAL (5R01AR038033-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3158388. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*