Peter Merrifield v
University of Western Ontario · Canada
Editorial leadership for Journal of Skeletal Muscle ISSN 2832-4048
Research interests
- Skeletal Muscle Development
- Or Myogenesis
- Represents An Ideal Model System For Studying Cellular Processes Such As Cell Migration
- Cell Signaling
- Cell Cycle Regulation
- Cell Differentiation. Understanding Myogenesis Is Extremely Important
- Since Myod -/-
- Myf5 -/- Deficient Mice Which Lack Normal Muscle Development Die At Birth
- And Mutant Mice Lacking Muscle Specific Stem Cells (Or Satellite Cells) Cannot Regenerate Muscle In Response To Injury. The Objective Of My Current Research Program Is To Elucidate The Cell Signaling
- Epigenetic Mechanisms Which Commit Muscle Precursor Cell To Specific Myogenic Lineages
- The Role Of Specific Myogenic Lineages In The Development
- Regeneration Of Different Muscle Fibre Types
Biography
Peter Merrifield at the University of Western Ontario has been studying the cellular basis of skeletal muscle differentiation and the molecular basis for the development of muscle fiber type for over 25 years. His research program elucidates how developmental processes commit muscle precursor cells to specific myogenic lineages and the role of these lineages in the development and regeneration of different muscle fiber types, using myogenesis as a model system for studying migration, signaling, cell cycle regulation, and differentiation in development and disease. He has explored the role of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in myogenesis and examined GJIC in Cx43 mutant mice with compromised communication, demonstrating that these mice have defective limb muscles similar to those reported in patients with oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD). His work, grounded in developmental anatomy and shared with undergraduate science, dental, graduate, and medical students, aims to improve understanding of how normal and diseased muscles adapt, regenerate, and age.
Considering JSM for your work?
This journal is guided by Peter Merrifield (University of Western Ontario) and a peer-review board of practising researchers. Open access, author-retained copyright (CC BY), and a clear editorial process.