King's College London

Muscle regeneration is mediated by the activity of resident muscle satellite cells (muSCs) that express Pax7. In mouse Notch signaling regulates muSCs during quiescence and promotes muSC proliferation in regeneration. It is unclear if these roles of Notch in regulating muSC biology are conserved across vertebrates or are a mammalian specific feature. We have therefore investigated the role of Notch in regulating muSC homeostasis and regeneration in a teleost fish, the zebrafish. We have also tested whether muSCs show differential sensitivity to Notch during myotome development. In an absence of injury Notch is important for preventing muSC proliferation at the vertical myoseptum. In contrast, Notch signaling promotes proliferation and prevents differentiation in the context of injury. Notch is required for the proliferative response to injury at early and later larval stages, suggesting it plays a similar role in regulating muSCs at developing and adult stages. Our results reveal a conserved role for Notch signaling in regulating muSCs under homeostasis and for promoting proliferation during regeneration in teleost fish.