Emerging Mechanisms for Skeletal Muscle Mass Regulation

Dear Colleagues,

Skeletal muscle makes up approximately 40% of the total human body mass and plays a key role in locomotion, breathing, posture and metabolism. Skeletal muscle mass is finely regulated in the healthy human body, but a significant and deleterious loss of skeletal muscle mass can occur as a consequence of pathological conditions such as cancer, chronic renal failure, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Additionally, a progressive reduction in muscle mass is almost invariably observed during aging. Regardless of its origin, severe loss of muscle mass leads to a significant decline in quality of life in terms of decreased independence, risks of injuries, hospitalization and even susceptibility to diseases. However, the mechanisms behind this pathological condition are not yet fully understood, and are likely multifactorial. The devastating, life-changing consequences of muscle loss, especially in young individuals, and the expected ever-growing price in terms of individual well-being and global health care costs of age-related muscle loss in a globally aging population, call for an effort from the scientific community to investigate and understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of muscle mass.

For this Special Issue, we invite both original research articles and reviews that provide the IJMS reader a comprehensive picture of recent advancements in the field of skeletal muscle mass regulation in terms of new exciting findings and cutting-edge methodologies possibly leading to new therapeutic strategies to improve the well-being of individuals affected by abnormal muscle mass regulation.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Sorrentino
Dr. Stefano Perni
Guest Editors

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