Abstract 031 | Lecture: the wonderful machine

Stefano Schiaffino | Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine - VIMM, Padua, Italy Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine - VIMM, Padua, Italy.

In this talk I will focus on the notion that skeletal muscle is the central component of a wonderful musculo-skeletal machine specialized in the generation of movement. I will briefly touch on following points: 1. The view that the human body is a machine emerged with the anatomical dissections in Italian universities in the XV century and was first formalized by René Descartes in his treatise on man (L’homme, around 1630-35). 2. The working of this machine requires four major components: a motor which generates the force required for the movement (muscle), a mechanical actuator to perform the various movements (skeleton: tendons, bones and joints), a control center which plans the movement and activates the motor (brain and nerves), and an energy supply system which provides the fuel (substrates and O₂), with many organs and cells contributing to this function. Indeed, the whole body is actually involved in the working of the machine. 3. The human musculo-skeletal machine has distinct properties, not shared by other primates, which were acquired during evolution by the ancestors of Homo sapiens (“born to run”). 4. This machine differs from man-made machines in that it can self-repair, e. g. through muscle regeneration, and adapt in response to appropriate stimuli through structural and functional changes, e. g. muscle atrophy/hypertrophy. 5. Our machine must be kept continuously in function, otherwise it deteriorates: physical exercise has an essential role not only for keeping the machine in good shape but for contributing to the well-being of the whole body. The essential role of muscle activity is first evident before birth, during fetal development, and lasts throughout life, being a condition for healthy aging.