Characterizing Satellite Cells and Myogenic Progenitors During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration.

Muscle stem cells, named satellite cells, are quiescent in resting skeletal muscle. Following injury, satellite cells are activated and become proliferating myoblasts that either self-renew or differentiate. Several markers are used to identify the different myogenic populations, such as Pax7 (quiescent and activated satellite cells), MyoD (proliferating myoblasts), and myogenin (differentiating myoblasts). Immunodetection of these markers is a very useful tool to analyze myogenic cells and muscle regeneration. Here, we describe a method for immunodetection of satellite cells and their myogenic progeny in resting and regenerating skeletal muscles.