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NC1131: Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Skeletal Muscle Growth and Differentiation (NC131)

Statement of Issues and Justification

The overall goal of this cooperative, multi-state, multidisciplinary, basic research project is to increase the efficiency of lean meat production in domestic animals. Meat, derived from skeletal muscle, is one of the most economically important outputs of animal agriculture. Rapid, efficient deposition of lean muscle tissue is essential to economical production of high-quality meat which is critical to both the economic success of producers and the health of consumers. Development of successful strategies to increase efficiency of muscle production requires increased understanding of the biological processes regulating differentiation and growth of muscle in meat animals. Although we have made significant progress toward this goal under the auspices of the current NC-131 project, recent advances in molecular and cellular biology methods (microarrays, siRNA, gene transfer, real-time RT-PCR, etc) have provided many of the tools necessary to dramatically advance our understanding of these processes. Consequently the goal of this multi-state, multidisciplinary, basic research project is to utilize these new tools to elucidate molecular and cellular processes that regulate differentiation and growth of skeletal muscle; thereby, providing the basic knowledge necessary to increase the efficiency of lean meat production in meat-producing animals.

This proposal for renewal of the NC-131 project describes the collaborative effort of reseachers from 18 different Agricultural Experiment Stations to characterize specific aspects of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle growth. Major points that support the continuation of this important, fundamental research project for the next five years are:

1. The project relates to a major agricultural problem. Meeting consumer needs for a high quality product while maintaining profitability of production, decreasing environmental impacts, and minimizing use of natural resources will require improvements in the efficiency of meat production in domestic animals. These efforts rely directly on fundamental knowledge of the biological mechanisms that regulate muscle growth.
2. The project relates directly to identified national agricultural research priorities: Objective 1.2 of the CSREES National Program Goals is "To increase the global competitiveness of the U.S. agricultural production system." Improving the efficiency of meat production in domestic animals, based on fundamental knowledge of the mechanisms of muscle growth, is directly related to this goal.
3. CSREES Objective 1.3 is "To recruit and educate a diverse set of individuals for careers as future scientists, professionals, and leaders who are well-trained in agricultural sciences." An important component of this project has been and will continue to be the training of graduate students and postdoctorates in basic fields that will relate to long-term improvements in agricultural productivity.
4. The crosscutting research areas established by the NCRA Committee in the Agricultural Production, Processing and Distribution area include "Develop improved animal, plant, and microbial production, production and marketing systems that are competitive, profitable and environmentally sound over the long term." This project provides the basic research necessary to achieve this goal.
5. Broadening and enriching the knowledge base about genomics, including the utilization of molecular techniques (gene mapping, est sequencing, functional genomics) is another goal of the NCRA that research conducted in this project will impact. The project supports current efforts to map genes important in animal production by providing fundamental information about the regulation and expression of genes during muscle differentiation and growth. New cutting-edge methodology, such as microarrays to assay gene expression of thousands of genes simultaneously and mass spectroscopy for protein and peptide identification, open new avenues for determination of biological mechanisms.
6. The NC-131 Committee continues to be highly productive. A total of 184 refereed papers, 41 book chapters/conference proceedings and 140 abstracts have resulted from the first four years of the current five-year NC-131 project, and additional publications are expected by the September 30, 2005, termination date. Many of these papers are in high quality basic science journals, attesting to the quality of the work and justifying the basic approach of this project. Substantial progress has been made under each of the specific objectives of the current project.
7. The NC-131 project is both a multi-state and a multidisciplinary project, involving the effort of investigators at 18 different State Agricultural Experiment Stations. The Principal Investigators represent a variety of basic science disciplines that complement each other and provide the expertise necessary to complete the objectives.
8. The project continues to involve a strong cooperative effort between the various units. Cooperative efforts during the current project have involved activities such as exchange of reagents, including well-characterized monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies and cDNA probes, sharing of knowledge and techniques, joint use of equipment and techniques available at particular stations, and joint publication of research results. Numerous collaborative projects are described in the procedures for the proposed revision. The committee feels strongly that the collaborations in this project would have been substantially more difficult to establish and maintain outside the framework of a funded regional project.
9. The members of the NC-131 committee have been highly successful in obtaining outside support to fund the research. Funding from the USDA NRICGP Program, NIH, NSF, health-related granting agencies, and industry sources has been essential to carry out the work and to maintain the high level of productivity of the group, and this record of outside funding is expected to continue.

In summary, this project describes a fundamental research approach to an important agricultural problem. The investigators at the cooperating stations have demonstrated a high level of productivity, and are, thus, capable of making substantial progress towards the objectives outlined in this revised project proposal.

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