Research

Energy balance

The molecular clock component BMAL1 is required for satellite cell proliferation and the metabolic transition from oxidative to glycolytic energy sources during early muscle regeneration.

BMAL1 acts as a metabolic switch for muscle stem cells. When muscle is damaged, these cells must switch from resting energy (oxidative) to building energy (glycolytic) to multiply. BMAL1 regulates this switch. Disrupting your circadian rhythm (e.g., chronic shift work) might impair this metabolic flexibility, potentially slowing down the initial proliferation phase of muscle repair.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
As SCs from SC-BMAL1 KO mice cannot transition into glycolysis, it is likely that BMAL1 circadian input is required for SC transitions between energetic states and thus, appropriate, and successive expression of MRFs supporting proliferative demands.
Ryan E. Kahn et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology · 2023

Why this rating

Derived from BMAL1-null and SC-specific BMAL1 KO mouse models; mechanism is well-established in mice but less clear in humans.

Source

Molecular clocks, satellite cells, and skeletal muscle regeneration

Ryan E. Kahn et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology · 2023

DOI 10.1152/ajpcell.00073.2023

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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