Muscle repair after physiological damage relies on nuclear migration for cellular reconstruction

Muscle repair without stem cells Skeletal muscle is a mechanical organ that endures cellular damage after contraction. Lesions caused by external injury can be repaired by muscle stem cells, which fuse with injured cells or create entirely new myofibers. Roman et al . describe a cell-autonomous repair process that is independent of muscle stem cells (see the Perspective by McNally and Demonbreun). After localized damage, myonuclei migrate to injury sites and locally deliver messenger RNA for cellular reconstruction. This myofiber self-repair represents a model for understanding the restoration of muscle architecture in health and disease. —BAP