Dirk Pette, remembered for his pioneering muscle research

Abstract

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dirk Pette. He passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on June 4, 2022. Dirk was an outstanding professor of biochemistry at the University of Konstanz, Germany and an internationally renowned researcher in the field of skeletal muscle biology. His research on electrical stimulation has had a profound impact on our understanding of myofiber type specification and the enormous adaptive potential of skeletal muscle. Under Dirk's leadership, new biological questions in the field of neuromuscular biology have developed into multidisciplinary approaches using advanced physiological, cell biological, and biochemical techniques. Dirk's research laboratory was frequently visited by a large number of national and international collaborators who familiarized themselves with the technically demanding stimulation protocols and bioanalytical techniques to study the intricate details of the highly complex process of fast-to-slow muscle transitions. Importantly, fundamental studies on the physiological effects of changes in innervation patterns on muscle phenotype have provided the scientific evidence base for a variety of innovative clinical applications. The skeletal muscle research community has lost one of its leading figures and an outstanding teacher of protein biochemistry. He leaves an inspiring legacy in the field of basic and applied myology. Dirk will be missed by his colleagues and by many students of neuromuscular biology and beyond.

Keywords

• Dirk Pette
• muscle biochemistry
• neuromuscular electrical stimulation
• skeletal muscle plasticity