A Three-Dimensional Culture Model of Reversibly Quiescent Myogenic Cells.

Satellite cells (SC) are the stem cells of skeletal muscles. They are quiescent in adult animals but resume proliferation to allow muscle hypertrophy or regeneration after injury. The mechanisms balancing quiescence, self-renewal, and differentiation of SC are difficult to analyze owing to their complexity and because the staminal character of SC is lost when they are removed from the niche and is not adequately reproduced in the culture models currently available.