Neuromuscular Research Lab

Overview

It is generally accepted that neuromuscular activity is a major physiological signal that influences muscle protein expression via a complex cascade of intermediary events involving the modulation of gene expression and post-transcriptional mechanisms. It is also increasingly evident that other activity-independent factors are implicated in this protein response. The objective of my research program is to systematically define the relative importance of neuromuscular activity (the quantity and pattern of impulses and the differential sensitivity of different fiber types to these stimuli), the exchange of trophic chemical substances between motor nerve and target muscle fibers, and active and passive mechanical factors, on the functional, morphological and metabolic characteristics of muscle fibers. For such, several interventions such as chronic pharmacological treatment of motor nerves with specific drugs and electrical stimulation of intact yet electrically-quiescent motor nerves with various patterns and amounts of activation constructs are used to partition the influence of nerve impulse activity and nerve-derived trophic factors on the expression muscle proteins and their genes. Signaling pathways implicated in the regulation of the expression of selected muscle proteins and their corresponding genes are also studied in whole tissues and within distinct intracellular compartments of single muscle cells using techniques such as quantitative microphotometric histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, gel electrophoresis, western and northern blot analyses, in situ hybridization, subtractive hybridization, [32P]-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ RT-PCR. The results of these experiments contribute to our understanding of the physiological, biochemical and molecular regulatory events involved in the control of the muscle fiber by its motor nerve.

Research Director
R.N. Michel, B.Ed. (McGill), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Montreal)
Full Professor, Laurentian University
Affiliated Full Professor, University of Western Ontario

Address:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario,
Canada, P3E 2C6

Tel: (705) 675-1151....... extensions

office................... 1010
cellular lab............ 1084
molecular lab... ..... 1032

Email: rnmichel@nickel.laurentian.ca

Dr.Robin Michel
Graduate Students

A.R. Simard, B.Sc. (Laurentian), MSc cand. (Laurentian)

UWO Degree Option

Students wishing to obtain a degree from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, while working full-time under Dr. Michel's supervision within the Neuromuscular Reasearch Laboratory in Sudbury, can do so as a result of Dr. Michel's affiliated status with UWO's Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students are registered through UWO and are eligible for all benefits pertaining to that status. For more information contact Dr. Michel or the Faculty of Graduate Studies, UWO.

Alumni
S.E. Dunn, B.Sc., M.Sc.(Laurentian), Ph.D (UWO)
F. Viau, B.Sc. (Laurentian), MSc. (Laurentian)
J.L. Burns, B.Sc. Biochemistry (Laurentian), M.D. cand. (McMaster)
S.D. Madison, B.Sc Neurosci.., M.Sc. Biology.(Laurentian), B.Sc RadSci. (Michener Inst./U of T)
C. Boudreau-Lariviere, M.Sc. Biology (Laurentian), Ph.D. Physiology (Ottawa)
R.J. Campbell, M.Sc. Biochemistry (Laurentian), M.D. (Ottawa)
G. Cowper-Benoit, MSc. Biochemistry (Laurentian), Technologist (Laurentian)

Selected Publications

Dunn SE, Simard AR, Prud'homme RA, Michel RN.
Calcineurin and skeletal muscle growth.
Nat Cell Biol. 2002 Mar;4(3):E46. No abstract available.

Dunn SE, Simard AR, Bassel-Duby R, Williams RS, Michel RN.
Nerve activity-dependent modulation of calcineurin signaling in adult fast and slow skeletal muscle fibers.
J Biol Chem 2001 Nov 30;276(48):45243-54

Dunn SE, Chin ER, Michel RN.
Matching of calcineurin activity to upstream effectors is critical for skeletal muscle fiber growth
J Cell Biol 2000 Oct 30;151(3):663-72

Wu H, Naya FJ, McKinsey TA, Mercer B, Shelton JM, Chin ER, Simard AR, Michel RN, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Williams RS.
MEF2 responds to multiple calcium-regulated signals in the control of skeletal muscle fiber type.
EMBO J. 2000 May 2;19(9):1963-73.

Dunn SE, Burns JL, Michel RN.
Calcineurin is required for skeletal muscle hypertrophy.
J Biol Chem. 1999 Jul 30;274(31):21908-12.

Dunn SE, Michel RN.
Differential sensitivity of myosin-heavy-chain-typed fibers to distinct aggregates of nerve-mediated activation.
Pflugers Arch. 1999 Feb;437(3):432-40.

Madison SD, Dunn SE, Michel RN.
Quantitative microphotometric assessment of membrane-bound dehydrogenase activities in excitable cells: obtaining linear and slowly progressing histochemical reactions.
J Histochem Cytochem. 1998 Oct;46(10):1211-2. No abstract available.

Richards PM, Persinger MA, Michel RN.
Ontogeny of two-point discrimination for fingers and toes in children (ages 7 through 15 years).
Percept Mot Skills. 1998 Jun;86(3 Pt 2):1259-62.

Dunn SE, Michel RN.
Coordinated expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms and metabolic enzymes within overloaded rat muscle fibers.
Am J Physiol. 1997 Aug;273(2 Pt 1):C371-83

Gauthier ER, Madison SD, Michel RN.
Rapid RNA isolation without the use of commercial kits: application to small tissue samples.
Pflugers Arch. 1997 Mar;433(5):664-8.

Boudreau-Lariviere C, Gisiger V, Michel RN, Hubatsch DA, Jasmin BJ.
Fast and slow skeletal muscles express a common basic profile of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms.
Am J Physiol. 1997 Jan;272(1 Pt 1):C68-76.

Michel RN, Parry DJ, Dunn SE.
Regulation of myosin heavy chain expression in adult rat hindlimb muscles during short-term paralysis: comparison of denervation and tetrodotoxin-induced neural inactivation.
FEBS Lett. 1996 Aug 5;391(1-2):39-44.

Campbell RJ, Jasmin BJ, Michel RN.
Succinate dehydrogenase activity within synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments of functionally-overloaded rat skeletal muscle fibers.
Pflugers Arch. 1996 Mar;431(5):797-9.

Michel RN, Campbell RJ, Jasmin BJ.
Regulation of succinate dehydrogenase within muscle fiber compartments by nerve-mediated activity and CNTF.
Am J Physiol. 1996 Jan;270(1 Pt 2):R80-5.

Megeney LA, Michel RN, Boudreau CS, Fernando PK, Prasad M, Tan MH, Bonen A.
Regulation of muscle glucose transport and GLUT-4 by nerve-derived factors and activity-related processes.
Am J Physiol. 1995 Nov;269(5 Pt 2):R1148-53.

Jasmin BJ, Campbell RJ, Michel RN.
Nerve-dependent regulation of succinate dehydrogenase in junctional and extrajunctional compartments of rat muscle fibres.
J Physiol (Lond). 1995 Apr 1;484 ( Pt 1):155-6

Michel RN, Vu CQ, Tetzlaff W, Jasmin BJ.
Neural regulation of acetylcholinesterase mRNAs at mammalian neuromuscular synapses.
J Cell Biol. 1994 Nov;127(4):1061-9.

Michel RN, Cowper G, Chi MM, Manchester JK, Falter H, Lowry OH.
Effects of tetrodotoxin-induced neural inactivation on single muscle fiber metabolic enzymes.
Am J Physiol. 1994 Jul;267(1 Pt 1):C55-66.