Enter the matrix: shape, signal and superhighway.

Mammalian skeletal muscle is notable for both its highly ordered biophysical structure and its regenerative capacity following trauma. Critical to both of these features is the specialized muscle extracellular matrix, comprising both the multiple concentric sheaths of connective tissue surrounding structural units from single myofibers to whole muscles and the dense interstitial matrix that occupies the space between them. Extracellular matrix-dependent interactions affect all activities of the resident muscle stem cell population (the satellite cells), from maintenance of quiescence and stem cell potential to the regulation of proliferation and differentiation. This review focuses on the role of the extracellular matrix in muscle regeneration, with a particular emphasis on regulation of satellite-cell activity.