As gradual exhaustion of the satellite stem cell pool is an obvious pathological outcome among patients who suffer from the extremely severe muscle disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the positive effect of IL34 inactivation on satellite stem cell pool maintenance during both in vivo and in vitro myogenesis led us to consider whether it might be helpful for ameliorating the muscular dystrophy phenotype in mdx mice. Here, IL34 is linked to muscular dystrophy.