The role of ribosome biogenesis in skeletal muscle hypertrophy

The regulation of muscle size is primarily determined by protein metabolism. During periods of rapid muscle wasting, protein degradation has a major role, whereas during muscle hypertrophy the main force driving the increase in myofiber size is muscle protein synthesis. Although the majority of studies to date have focused on the short-lived responses in protein synthesis following an acute bout of resistance exercise, accumulating evidences in recent years have convincingly demonstrated that ribosome biogenesis as a main source of translational capacity plays an important role in muscle growth. This chapter will focus on muscle ribosome biogenesis in relation to the biology of muscle growth and its important implications for clinical studies.