Michelle Henricks

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Michelle Henricks

Adj. Asst. Professor

Email: henricks@physci.ucla.edu
Office: Hershey Hall 323
Phone: 310-206-8390

Biography

I’m a Southern California native and first generation American. During high school, an insightful instructor fostered my curiosity for physiology and laid the groundwork for my future. With the encouragement of a professor, I pursued my love of physiology through a B.S. degree in Sports Medicine/Exercise Physiology at Pepperdine University where I was first introduced to scientific research while studying the physiological effects of strength loss in aged populations. With a deep love for science and academics, I joined the Physiological Science department at UCLA for graduate work with Dr. James Tidball. A master's degree led to a Ph.D., a Post-Doctoral appointment, and a Professional Research appointment. Many years later, I now have the honor and joy of serving and supporting students as an instructor for the Integrative Biology and Physiology department that has been my home for more than three decades. 



Education

B.S., Sports Medicine, Pepperdine University 1995
M.S., Physiological Science, University of California, Los Angeles 1997
Ph.D. Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles 2002


Selected Publications

Wehling-Henricks M, Kannan P, Thomas C, Bal H, Balu V, Ochi E, Dorshkind K, Tidball JG. CTLA4-Ig reduces proliferation and inflammatory gene expression in muscle fibroblasts, corresponding to less fibrosis and inflammation in mdx muscular dystrophy. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2026

Tidball JG, Petrossian L, McKee CM, Wehling-Henricks M. Hemizygous mutation of Jmjd3 in muscle stem cells increases H3K27 methylation on Pax7 leading to impaired myogenesis. Am J Physiol 2025

Wehling-Henricks M, Kok SY, Gamboa H, Kannan P, Thomas C, Flores I, Welc SS, Tidball JG. Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 Fused to a Modified Fragment of IgG1 Reduces Muscle Fiber Damage in a model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Attenuating Proinflammatory Gene Expression in Myeloid Lineage Cells. Am J Pathol 2025

Ochi E, Barrington A, Wehling-Henricks M, Avila M, Kuro-O M, Tidball JG. Klotho regulates the myogenic response of muscle to mechanical loading exercises. Exp Physiol 2023

McKee CM, Chapski DJ, Wehling-Henricks M, Rosa-Garrido M, Kuro-O M, Vondriska TM, Tidball JG.The anti-aging protein Klotho affects early postnatal myogenesis by downregulating Jmjd3 and the canonical Wnt pathway. FASEB J 2022

Tidball, JG, Flores I, Welc SS, Wehling-Henricks M, Ochi E. Aging of the immune system and impaired muscle regeneration: A failure of immunomodulation of adult myogenesis. Exp Gerontology 2021

Flores I, Welc SS, Wehling-Henricks M, Tidball JG. Myeloid cell-mediated targeting of LIF to dystrophic muscle causes transient increases in muscle fiber lesions by disrupting the recruitment and dispersion of macrophages in muscle. Hum Mol Genet 2021

Welc SS, Flores I, Wehling-Henricks M, Ramos J, Wang Y, Bertoni C, Tidball JG. Targeting a LIF transgene to muscle via the immune system ameliorates muscular dystrophy. Nat Commun 2019

Wehling-Henricks M, Welc SS, Samengo G, Rinaldi C, Lindsay C, Wang Y, Lee J, Kuro-O M, Tidball JG Macrophages escape Klotho gene silencing in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and promote muscle growth and increase satellite cell numbers through a Klotho-mediated pathway. Hum Mol Genet 2018

Wehling-Henricks M, Li Z, Lindsey C, Wang Y, Welc S, Ramos JN, Khanlou JN, Kuro-O M, Tidball JG. Klotho gene silencing promotes pathology in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Hum Mol Genet 2016