“This discovery adds an important new dimension to our understanding of muscle stem cell mobilization and could lead to the development of new therapies,” - Dr. Michael RudnickiNew research from Dr. Michael Rudnicki’s team shows for the first time that a cellular structure called a primary cilium, which functions somewhat like an antenna, plays a crucial role in priming muscle stem cells for repair and regeneration. 

As described in Nature Communications, Dr. Rudnicki and his team found that a protein called GLI3, which is processed in the cilium, controls this process. They also found that removal of GLI3 promotes stem cell expansion and enhances regeneration in damaged muscle tissue in laboratory models.

“This discovery adds an important new dimension to our understanding of muscle stem cell mobilization and could lead to the development of new therapies,” said Dr. Rudnicki, senior scientist and Director of the Regenerative Medicine Program and the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at The Ottawa Hospital, and professor at the University of Ottawa.

Authors: Brun CE, Sincennes MC, Lin AYT, Hall D, Jarassier W, Feige P, Le Grand F, Rudnicki MA.

Core resources: StemCore, Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting, Bioinformatics, Proteomics, High Content Imaging

Funding: U.S. National Institutes for Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Stem Cell Network, Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine, French Muscular Dystrophy Association, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, European Joint Program on Rare Diseases, Canada Research Chairs Program. All research at The Ottawa Hospital is also enabled by generous donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.