Researchers from institutions such as Tsukuba University in Japan recently published a paper in the British academic journal "Stem Cells" stating that they have discovered a "switch" for skeletal muscle stem cells to form muscles. This achievement has the potential to be used in the development of drugs for treating diseases such as muscle atrophy. Tsukuba University recently released a press release stating that skeletal muscle stem cells in adult muscles are usually in a dormant state. When muscle damage or other abnormalities occur, they quickly "wake up" from dormancy and proliferate, producing a large number of cells necessary for muscle repair. If the above processes are delayed or abnormal due to aging or diseases, the regeneration and repair mechanisms of muscles cannot function well, and muscles may accelerate aging or develop diseases such as muscle atrophy. By studying the skeletal muscle stem cells of gene edited experimental mice, researchers found that two genes called Dusp13 and Dusp27 are the "switches" for skeletal muscle stem cells to enter the differentiation phase from proliferation and ultimately form muscles. The experiment showed that if only one of these two genes was missing in the experimental mice, their muscle regeneration ability did not show any abnormalities; If both genes are deficient, there will be a significant decrease in muscle regeneration ability. The announcement stated that the research team will further investigate the mechanisms of action of these two genes in the future. If the complete mechanism of muscle formation by skeletal muscle stem cells can be explored, it will help treat diseases such as muscle atrophy and muscular dystrophy. It is reported that the research results in this field may also be used to cultivate artificial meat. (New Society)