By Victoria Ashton

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ginny Morriss

Abstract

Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1) is a condition that causes severe weakening and wasting of muscles, caused by an expansion of CTG repeats in the DMPK gene. Previous studies have shown that activation of the protein platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) is deregulated in DM1. PDGFRβ signaling is responsible for many cellular processes including the proliferation and migration of regenerative muscle cells. To investigate the deregulation of PDGFRβ signaling in DM1 with respect to its muscle regenerative processes, immortalized human DM1 and unaffected cell lines were cultured, differentiated into myotubes, and injured. This project aims to use qPCR to investigate the relative expression of pdgfrb and pdgfb after injury in both DM1 and unaffected cell lines, adding a regenerative perspective to the known deregulation of PDGFRβ in DM1.