Research is focused on the Developmental Biology of Skeletal Muscle. Specifically, we are interested in exploring mechanisms regulating the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into myocytes and adipocytes, and the impact of maternal physiological conditions on the development of fetal skeletal muscle.

     Obesity, including maternal obesity, is increasing at alarming rate. To be a major tissue responsible for glucose and fatty acid utilization, and the only tissue responsible for locomotion, proper development of skeletal muscle at the fetal stage is essential for the health of next generation. Abnormal fetal muscle development due to maternal obesity may pre-dispose offspring to adult diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes. For animal agriculture, maternal nutrition especially under-nutrition impacts fetal muscle development and the subsequent animal performance and meat quality.

     We use in vitro cell culture, transgenic animals and livestock as experimental models. A wide range of laboratory techniques are used in our studies, including chemical analyses, enzyme activity assays, immunoblotting, ELISA, immunohistochemical staining, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and proteomic analyses, real-time PCR, DNA manipulation and RNA interference.