Skeletal muscle plasticity: from myogenesis to regeneration

Abstract

Skeletal muscles, the most abundant tissue in mammals, have enormous potential for renewal, second only to bone marrow. Skeletal muscle plasticity, defined as the ability to rebuild and regenerate muscles, accompanies us from birth to the end of life. This is a complex phenomenon, necessary for the proper functioning of the organism, and possible thanks to the specialized mechanisms that we describe within this article. We also introduce the readers to the structure of skeletal muscles and the basis of muscle contraction, as well as to the process of myogenesis, which we believe will facilitate understanding of the processes related to plasticity of this tissue.