Human satellite cells: identification on human muscle fibres

Abstract

Satellite cells, normally quiescent underneath the myofibre basal lamina, are skeletal muscle stem cells responsible for postnatal muscle growth, repair and regeneration. Since their scarcity and small size have limited study on transverse muscle sections, techniques to isolate individual myofibres, bearing their attendant satellite cells, were developed. Studies on mouse myofibres have generated much information on satellite cells, but the limited availability and small size of human muscle biopsies have hampered equivalent studies of satellite cells on human myofibres. Here, we identified satellite cells on fragments of human and mouse myofibres, using a method applicable to small muscle biopsies.