- Cellular Aspects of Skeletal Muscle Physiology and Metabolism

Catalog description

An analysis of skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism as it relates to exercise and health. Particular attention is given to the molecular and cellular effects of exercise and exercise mimetics on skeletal muscle metabolism. Students initially review skeletal muscle anatomy and physiology to prepare for discussion of muscle fiber types as well as the genes that regulate fiber type expression. Students will examine how muscle fiber type transformation alters whole body metabolism and gain an understanding of the metabolic pathways necessary for skeletal muscle to produce energy for contractions with a particular emphasis on post-translational regulation of enzymes responsible for energy production. Students will discuss muscle "special topics" in physiology and metabolism such as skeletal muscle hypertrophy/atrophy, signal transduction, mitochondrial biogenesis, and gene expression. An integral part of the "special topics" will involve students developing a novel research project that attempts to answer an important research question