The Immediate Early Response of Proliferating Myoblasts to One Bout of Electrical Stimulation

The maintenance of muscle mass is important across the lifespan. The activation of satellite cells, followed by their proliferation and subsequent differentiation is important in this maintenance. Cell cycle arrest must precede differentiation, and preservation of the molecular networks involved within the regenerative process are necessary. Electrical stimulation is a common method of altering activity within a cell, and is known to alter the phenotype of myogenic cells. This thesis looks at the immediate effects of electrical stimulation on proliferating C2C12 myoblasts, in order to determine what induces the long term reductions in cell number associated with electrical stimulation. The results indicate that stimulation alters intracellular processes within these cells, promoting cell cycle arrest and autophagy-mediated cellular remodelling, explaining the long term reduction in cell number associated with stimulation. The research conducted is important in our understanding of muscle regeneration and muscle health.