Muscle Strength Boost
Researchers found that disabling the P311 gene helped damaged muscles in old mice develop 19% more strength. On August 22, in an article in npj Aging, authors described an experiment on 24-month-old mice: they disabled the P311 gene throughout the body and chemically damaged the tibialis anterior muscle.
Through 28 days after injury, this muscle developed 19% more strength than in similar old mice with P311 enabled. As muscles age, damaged areas often heal with excess collagen, forming scar tissue that hinders fiber function. The authors chose P311 because previous work linked the protein it codes to TGF-β production, a signaling molecule that promotes such tissue formation.
After injury, P311 and TGF-β levels in old muscle increased more than in young muscle. The authors first checked the tissue part of this chain: 14 days after injury, mice without P311 in muscle had less collagen and lower fibrosis-related gene activity. By 28 days, the average cross-sectional area of recovering fibers was 25% larger, and the same tibialis anterior muscle developed 19% more strength.
🔗 Read original →
Nature
Deletion of P311 enhances regeneration in aged skeletal muscle
npj Aging - Deletion of P311 enhances regeneration in aged skeletal muscle
August 24, 2026 8
