Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitor Cell Alterations in Skeletal Muscle: Pathological Dysfunction or Adaptive Reprogramming?

Area of Science:

• Muscle biology
• Cellular and molecular medicine
• Regenerative medicine

Background:

• Satellite cells (SCs) and fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) are key skeletal muscle progenitors.
• Limited data exists on how diseases and physiological conditions impact FAP biological properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how disuse and diseases affect FAP properties.
• To explore the role of FAPs in skeletal muscle degeneration and regeneration.
• To highlight FAPs as potential therapeutic targets for muscle disorders.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from FAPs purified from skeletal muscle tissue.
• Inclusion of studies on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (human and mdx mice), hindlimb unloading (rats), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM, human patients).

Main Results:

• Disuse and diseases induce adaptive metabolic remodeling in FAPs.
• FAP adipogenic differentiation in vitro is altered under pathological conditions.
• Specific FAP subpopulations may play a role in disease development.
• FAPs are involved in cell-to-cell interactions during muscle degeneration and regeneration.

Conclusions:

• Physiological and pathological conditions significantly alter FAP behavior.
• FAPs represent a promising target for clinical interventions in skeletal muscle disorders.
• Further research is needed to elucidate FAP roles in cell-to-cell interactions for therapeutic insights.