Satellite Cell Content and Muscle Memory in Retrained and Naïve Trained Skeletal Muscle

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Kevin Murach

Committee Member

Faith Lessner

Second Committee Member

Jeannine Durdik

Third Committee Member

Jill Wheeler

Abstract

Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic and metabolically active tissue that is essential for healthy aging. As we age activities that promote muscle health, like exercise training, are paramount to maintaining muscle size and function. Skeletal muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells (SCs), are essential for coordinating responses that promote muscle health and repair to resistance weight training. It is conceivable that SCs contribute to “skeletal muscle memory” which can be briefly defined as the cellular and molecular retention of adaptations from prior exercise training exposures that facilitates re-adaptation when exposed to the same stimulus. This study aimed to determine whether previous exercise training leads to greater SC accretion in skeletal muscle after a period of detraining and subsequent retraining compared to naïve trained mice. Adult (>4 mos.) male mice performed 8 weeks of progressive weighted wheel running (PoWeR) then detrained for 8 weeks before a retraining period of 4 weeks (DTRT); age-matched naïve trained control mice only participated in the 4-week training (CON) before sacrifice. Plantaris muscles were collected for muscle histology identification of SC content and muscle nuclei counts. There was no statistically significant difference in SC content per muscle fiber or myonuclear number per myofiber between DTRT and CON groups (p>0.05). Collectively, these findings suggest that prior exercise training does not augment satellite cell accretion or myonuclear abundance during retraining compared to naïve trained muscle.

Keywords

skeletal muscle; muscle memory; satellite cells; retraining; myonuclei; progressive weighted wheel running

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