Petrella JK, Kim J, Mayhew DL, Cross JM, Bamman MM. Potent myofiber hypertrophy during resistance training in humans is associated with satellite cell-mediated myonuclear addition: a cluster analysis. J Appl Physiol 104: 1736-1742, 2008. First published April 24, 2008 doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01215.2007.-A present debate in muscle biology is whether myonuclear addition is required during skeletal muscle hypertrophy. We utilized K-means cluster analysis to classify 66 humans after 16 wk of knee extensor resistance training as extreme (Xtr, n ϭ 17), modest (Mod, n ϭ 32), or nonresponders (Non, n ϭ 17) based on myofiber hypertrophy, which averaged 58, 28, and 0%, respectively (Bamman MM, Petrella JK, Kim JS, Mayhew DL, Cross JM. J Appl Physiol 102: [2232][2233][2234][2235][2236][2237][2238][2239] 2007). We hypothesized that robust hypertrophy seen in Xtr was driven by superior satellite cell (SC) activation and myonuclear addition. Vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained at baseline and week 16. SCs were identified immunohistochemically by surface expression of neural cell adhesion molecule. At baseline, myofiber size did not differ among clusters; however, the SC population was greater in Xtr (P Ͻ 0.01) than both Mod and Non, suggesting superior basal myogenic potential. SC number increased robustly during training in Xtr only (117%; P Ͻ 0.001). Myonuclear addition occurred in Mod (9%; P Ͻ 0.05) and was most effectively accomplished in Xtr (26%; P Ͻ 0.001). After training, Xtr had more myonuclei per fiber than Non (23%; P Ͻ 0.05) and tended to have more than Mod (19%; P ϭ 0.056). Both Xtr and Mod expanded the myonuclear domain to meet (Mod) or exceed (Xtr) 2,000 m 2 per nucleus, possibly driving demand for myonuclear addition to support myofiber expansion. These findings strongly suggest myonuclear addition via SC recruitment may be required to achieve substantial myofiber hypertrophy in humans. Individuals with a greater basal presence of SCs demonstrated, with training, a remarkable ability to expand the SC pool, incorporate new nuclei, and achieve robust growth. strength training; skeletal muscle; neural cell adhesion molecule; myonucleus; myogenesis EACH MYONUCLEUS WITHIN THE multinucleated skeletal myofiber regulates gene transcription and subsequent protein synthesis over a finite volume of cytoplasm (6,7,23). This volume per nucleus, or myonuclear domain, is not a fixed quantity as evidenced during atrophy due to disuse (3, 24) or aging (25) as loss of cell volume exceeds nuclear shedding. Similarly, our laboratory and others have shown that some initial myofiber hypertrophy can expand the cytoplasmic volume associated with each myonucleus (17,25). This has led some to debate whether the addition of nuclei is required for skeletal myofiber hypertrophy (23). However, a ceiling size on the domain has been suggested (17, 23, 25) based on the concept that sufficient expansion of the myonuclear domain likely puts each nucleus under greater strain to supply the necessary gene products, driving a demand for the a...