MUSCLE REGENERATION BY BONE-MARROW-DERIVED MYOGENIC PROGENITORS

Growth and repair of skeletal muscle are normally mediated by the sate llite cells that surround muscle fibers, In regenerating muscle, howev er, the number of myogenic precursors exceeds that of resident satelli te cells, implying migration or recruitment of undifferentiated progen itors from other sources. Transplantation of genetically marked bone m arrow into Immunodeficient mice revealed that marrow-derived cells mig rate into areas of induced muscle degeneration, undergo myogenic diffe rentiation, and participate in the regeneration of the damaged fibers, Genetically modified, marrow-derived myogenic progenitors could poten tially be used to target therapeutic genes to muscle tissue, providing an alternative strategy for treatment of muscular dystrophies.