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Building Muscle

Transcription factor called MAF determines the fibre type of muscles

30 April 2023

Building Muscle

Different types of cells pattern our tissues, each decorated by the thousands of genes and proteins inside them. Transcription factors shape these patterns, helping to switch on sets of distinctive genes in different cells at different times. In these chunks of mouse leg muscle, for example, transcriptions factors like MAF help to create a mosaic of muscle fibres. Coloured stains highlight different type II fibres in red and green in the normal muscle on the left. Investigating further, researchers alter the pattern by removing a version of MAF – changing the balance of fibres (seen on the right). Our own muscles adapt to our lifestyle, changing the makeup of their fibres with the help of transcription factors. Learning more about these and the role of age and diet may help us to maintain healthy muscles for longer, fending off diseases like diabetes and muscular dystrophy.

Written by John Ankers

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