Research in our group addresses basic questions of skeletal and cardiac muscle biology: (1.) How do mesodermal cells become determined to enter the skeletal and cardiac muscle cell lineages? (2.) How are skeletal and cardiac muscle genes activated during development? (3.) How are quantitative modulations in gene expression controlled with respect to fast and slow skeletal muscle fiber types and cardiac muscles; and how are these controls modulated by the unique physiology of different anatomical muscles? (4.) How can the understanding of muscle gene regulation be developed into effective strategies for muscle gene therapy? (5.) What mechanisms regulate the mitogenic responsiveness of satellite cells during skeletal muscle regeneration? (6.) Can skeletal muscle cells and stem cells be modified so as to provide functionally beneficial replacements for injured skeletal and cardiac muscle?