The loss of skeletal muscle function is an inevitable physiologic event during aging, which significantly impacts quality of life. Reduced regenerative capacity and cellular quality control machinery due to chronic oxidative stress, inflammation or disuse are the main contributing factors leading to the decline of muscle contractile function in aging. Physical exercise has demonstrated benefits in delaying muscle aging by inducing metabolic adaptation and activating autophagy. In addition, exercise can trigger the release of myokines from skeletal muscle into circulation with multiple benefits on other tissue functions. However, due to the sedentary lifestyle of many elderly people, implementation of endurance exercise training can be challenging. Therefore, searching for biological and/or pharmacological adjuncts that can effectively improve the function of aged muscle (and other tissues) represents an important task of geriatric medicine research and therapeutic development.
The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight recent developments in our understanding of the system biology, molecular machinery, and multi-organ crosstalk between skeletal muscle and other tissues that orchestrate the development and aging process. Recent advancements in proteomic and transcriptomic tools, high resolution imaging, precision gene editing, and their application to muscle aging research and therapeutic development will be a central theme of this special topic. Different types of manuscripts, including original research, methodological studies and reviews, will be considered.
The suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
• Molecular machinery that regulates the injury-repair process and regenerative capacity of the musculoskeletal system.
• Systems biology approach to investigating the underlying processes of oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or denervation associated with muscle atrophy and sarcopenia.
• Impact of exercise on muscle and other organ function during aging.
• Regulation of autophagy, mitophagy, and other cellular quality control machinery in aging.
• Skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ to secrete myokines.
• Muscle multi-organ cross-talk to modulate the aging process of the body.
• Proteomic and/or transcriptomic tools applied to aging research.
• Innovation in animal models and high resolution imaging tools applied to geriatric research and therapeutic development.
• Molecular and physiological investigation of the underlying changes in calcium signaling in striated muscles associated with aging.
• Genetic basis of mutations in genes leading to muscle dysfunction, dystrophy, and sarcopenia (ryanodine receptor, SERCA, TRP channels, junctophilin to list a few).
• Neuromuscular disease as a premature aging process in muscle dysfunction (e.g., ALS, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.).
• Muscle satellite cells’ contribution to sarcopenia.
• Store operated calcium entry as potential contributor to muscle aging and therapeutic target to treat muscle aging.
• Viral infection and muscle injury.
• Mesenchymal stromal cells in muscle metabolism, regeneration, and aging.
Topic Editor Jianjie Ma has an equity interest in TRIM-edicine, Inc. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
The loss of skeletal muscle function is an inevitable physiologic event during aging, which significantly impacts quality of life. Reduced regenerative capacity and cellular quality control machinery due to chronic oxidative stress, inflammation or disuse are the main contributing factors leading to the decline of muscle contractile function in aging. Physical exercise has demonstrated benefits in delaying muscle aging by inducing metabolic adaptation and activating autophagy. In addition, exercise can trigger the release of myokines from skeletal muscle into circulation with multiple benefits on other tissue functions. However, due to the sedentary lifestyle of many elderly people, implementation of endurance exercise training can be challenging. Therefore, searching for biological and/or pharmacological adjuncts that can effectively improve the function of aged muscle (and other tissues) represents an important task of geriatric medicine research and therapeutic development.
The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight recent developments in our understanding of the system biology, molecular machinery, and multi-organ crosstalk between skeletal muscle and other tissues that orchestrate the development and aging process. Recent advancements in proteomic and transcriptomic tools, high resolution imaging, precision gene editing, and their application to muscle aging research and therapeutic development will be a central theme of this special topic. Different types of manuscripts, including original research, methodological studies and reviews, will be considered.
The suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
• Molecular machinery that regulates the injury-repair process and regenerative capacity of the musculoskeletal system.
• Systems biology approach to investigating the underlying processes of oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or denervation associated with muscle atrophy and sarcopenia.
• Impact of exercise on muscle and other organ function during aging.
• Regulation of autophagy, mitophagy, and other cellular quality control machinery in aging.
• Skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ to secrete myokines.
• Muscle multi-organ cross-talk to modulate the aging process of the body.
• Proteomic and/or transcriptomic tools applied to aging research.
• Innovation in animal models and high resolution imaging tools applied to geriatric research and therapeutic development.
• Molecular and physiological investigation of the underlying changes in calcium signaling in striated muscles associated with aging.
• Genetic basis of mutations in genes leading to muscle dysfunction, dystrophy, and sarcopenia (ryanodine receptor, SERCA, TRP channels, junctophilin to list a few).
• Neuromuscular disease as a premature aging process in muscle dysfunction (e.g., ALS, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.).
• Muscle satellite cells’ contribution to sarcopenia.
• Store operated calcium entry as potential contributor to muscle aging and therapeutic target to treat muscle aging.
• Viral infection and muscle injury.
• Mesenchymal stromal cells in muscle metabolism, regeneration, and aging.
Topic Editor Jianjie Ma has an equity interest in TRIM-edicine, Inc. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
