Ordered regulated movement is one of the distinguishing characteristics of life. We attempt to discover how this contractility is maintained following reparable muscle damage. Muscle cells are remarkably adaptable; they can atrophy, hypertrophy, remodel depending on environmental stimuli and repair following a damaging event. All of these adaptations involve a group of proteins known as stress proteins and enzyme signaling cascades. We apply the paradigms and techniques of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology to investigate "What is the response of muscle cells to exercise?" and "Are female and male muscles different?" Our lab studies human and mouse skeletal muscle following eccentrically-biased (lengthening) contractions by global analysis of protein expression, the proteome, and specific analysis of certain proteins following exercise by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, biochemical techniques, confocal microscopy, RT-PCR and DNA microarray technology, as well as high resolution 2-D gel electrophoresis and LC/MS. This system of proteins may well orchestrate the mitigation of damage, the repair of damaged muscle, the acquisition of tolerance to damage and the developmental pathways underlying all of these adaptations.
