When stem cells can ’t roll on a bumpy road, muscles break down

Key takeaways​​​​​​Stem cells travel along a collagen network to reach damaged muscle tissue and heal it.In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, stiff, scarred collagen prevents stem cells from reaching their target.A protein called sarcospan lessens this scarring and allows stem cells to do their job more successfully, pointing toward potential new treatments for the disorder.Muscles that ache after a hard workout usually don ’t hurt for long, thanks to stem cells that rush to the injured site along “collagen highways” within the muscle and repair the damaged tissue. But if the cells can’t reach their destination, the damaged tissue can’t regenerate. Over time, it breaks down completely and ceases to function.In a study recently published innpj Regenerative Medicine, a group of researchers led by biochemists at UCLA show for the first time that scarring to the collagen framework that carries these healing cells causes muscles to gradually stop working in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The discovery in mice illuminates one reason stem cell therapy has not been effective for the disorder: The cells simply can ’t get where they’re needed most.Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common — and one of the most severe — hereditary muscular dystrophies. The muscle-wasting disease, which usually affects boys, begins in childhood and inevitably ends in death as the muscles that power the heart, lungs and other vital organs fail. It is caused by a mutation in the...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news