Skeletal myocyte plasticity: basis for improved therapeutic potential?

Skeletal muscle tissue exhibits a remarkable capacity to regenerate after injury and to adapt its properties in response to altered functional demands or environmental pressure. This potential renders skeletal myocytes especially attractive candidates to be used in therapeutic strategies. Besides the well-described adaptability of skeletal myocytes in terms of contractile function and metabolic profile, more recent research has revealed that the electrophysiological properties of myocytes are also subject to significant changes both under physiological conditions and in pathophysiological situations. A better understanding of skeletal myocyte plasticity, its regulation and its forced induction could improve existing therapeutic approaches and may pave the way for new therapeutic strategies.