Methods and compositions for rejuvenating skeletal muscle stem cells

A method of increasing strength or exercise endurance capacity in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to the subject a composition which increases the level or activity of GDF11 polypeptide in the subject, thereby increasing the strength or exercise endurance capacity, wherein the composition comprises a GDF11 polypeptide or a functional fragment or functional variant thereof, wherein the functional fragment comprises at least the 12.5 kDa C-terminus of GDF11, wherein the functional variant has at least 90% sequence identity to full length human mature GDF11, and wherein the composition causes the subject's skeletal muscle stem cells to increase in frequency or number, increase the sizes of regenerating myofibers, increase the efficiency of myogenic colony formation, increase the percentage of intact nuclei, and decrease the percentage of severely damaged deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), thereby rejuvenating the skeletal muscle stem cells in the subject.

A method of treating or preventing a skeletal muscle condition in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a composition which increases the level or activity of GDF11 polypeptide in the subject, wherein the composition causes the subject's skeletal muscle stem cells to increase in frequency or number, increase the sizes of regenerating myofibers, increase the efficiency of myogenic colony formation, increase the percentage of intact nuclei, and decrease the percentage of severely damaged DNA, thereby treating or preventing the skeletal muscle condition in the subject, wherein the composition comprises a GDF11 polypeptide or a functional fragment or functional variant thereof, wherein the functional fragment comprises at least the 12.5 kDa C-terminus of GDF11, and wherein the functional variant has at least 90% sequence identity to full length human mature GDF11.