Agnete Madsen - Novel mechanisms in mTORC1-regulated muscle plasticity

Inactivity and ageing are associated with loss of skeletal muscle mass and metabolic health, and exercise is effective to counteract these phenotypic changes.Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a key regulator of muscle size, autophagy, and metabolism but the molecular regulation of mTORC1 remains incompletely understood, particularly in the context of muscle and exercise.

This proposal addresses this knowledge gap through a combination of hypothesis-driven studies using state-of-the-art molecular cell biology and imaging techniques in muscle cells, rodent, and human muscle coupled with unique and powerful phospho-proteomics, to advance the molecular understanding of mTORC1 as a regulator of muscle cell plasticity.

The current PhD proposal consists of 3 sub-projects a) phospho-proteomics with mechanistic follow up studies, b) investigation of actin and mTORC1 interaction, c) investigation of the mechanical stress-induced p38 MAPK and mTORC1 signaling.