Expression of basic fibroblast growth factor results in the decrease of myostatin mRNA in murine C2C12 myoblasts

During the development and regeneration of skeletal muscle,many growth factors,such asbasic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF,FGF-2) and myostatin,have been shown to play regulating roles.bFGF contributes to promote proliferation and to inhibit differentiation of skeletal muscle,whereas myostatinplays a series of contrasting roles.In order to elucidate whether the expression of bFGF has any relationshipwith the expression of myostatin in skeletal muscle cells,we constructed a eukaryotic expression vector forthe expression of exogenous bFGF in murine C2C12 myoblasts.Quantitative RT-PCR assays indicated thatwith the increase of the expression of exogenous bFGF gene,the expression of endogenous myostatin genewas suppressed at mRNA level and protein level.     

Wnt4 activates the canonical β-catenin pathway and regulates negatively myostatin: functional implication in myogenesis

Expression of Wnt proteins is known to be important for developmental processes such as embryonic pattern formation and determination of cell fate. Previous studies have shown that Wn4 was involved in the myogenic fate of somites, in the myogenic proliferation, and differentiation of skeletal muscle. However, the function of this factor in adult muscle homeostasis remains not well understood. Here, we focus on the roles of Wnt4 during C2C12 myoblasts and satellite cells differentiation. We analyzed its myogenic activity, its mechanism of action, and its interaction with the anti-myogenic factor myostatin during differentiation. Established expression profiles indicate clearly that both types of cells express a few Wnts, and among these, only Wnt4 was not or barely detected during proliferation and was strongly induced during differentiation. As attested by myogenic factors expression pattern analysis and fusion index determination, overexpression of Wnt4 protein caused a strong increase in satellite cells and C2C12 myoblast differentiation leading to hypertrophic myotubes. By contrast, exposure of satellite and C2C12 cells to small interfering RNA against Wnt4 strongly diminished this process, confirming the myogenic activity of Wnt4. Moreover, we reported that Wnt4, which is usually described as a noncanonical Wnt, activates the canonical β-catenin pathway during myogenic differentiation in both cell types and that this factor regulates negatively the expression of myostatin and the regulating pathways associated with myostatin. Interestingly, we found that recombinant myostatin was sufficient to antagonize the differentiation-promoting activities of Wnt4. Reciprocally, we also found that the genetic deletion of myostatin renders the satellite cells refractory to the hypertrophic effect of Wnt4. These results suggest that the Wnt4-induced decrease of myostatin plays a functional role during hypertrophy. We propose that Wnt4 protein may be a key factor that regulates the extent of differentiation in satellite and C2C12 cells.     

Lower skeletal muscle mass in male transgenic mice with muscle-specific overexpression of myostatin

Mutations in the myostatin gene are associated with hypermuscularity, suggesting that myostatin inhibits skeletal muscle growth. We postulated that increased tissue-specific expression of myostatin protein in skeletal muscle would induce muscle loss. To investigate this hypothesis, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress myostatin protein selectively in the skeletal muscle, with or without ancillary expression in the heart, utilizing cDNA constructs in which a wild-type (MCK/Mst) or mutated muscle creatine kinase (MCK-3E/Mst) promoter was placed upstream of mouse myostatin cDNA. Transgenic mice harboring these MCK promoters linked to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expressed the reporter protein only in skeletal and cardiac muscles (MCK) or in skeletal muscle alone (MCK-3E). Seven-week-old animals were genotyped by PCR of tail DNA or by Southern blot analysis of liver DNA. Myostatin mRNA and protein, measured by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively, were significantly higher in gastrocnemius, quadriceps, and tibialis anterior of MCK/Mst-transgenic mice compared with wild-type mice. Male MCK/Mst-transgenic mice had 18-24% lower hind- and forelimb muscle weight and 18% reduction in quadriceps and gastrocnemius fiber cross-sectional area and myonuclear number (immunohistochemistry) than wild-type male mice. Male transgenic mice with mutated MCK-3E promoter showed similar effects on muscle mass. However, female transgenic mice with either type of MCK promoter did not differ from wild-type controls in either body weight or skeletal muscle mass. In conclusion, increased expression of myostatin in skeletal muscle is associated with lower muscle mass and decreased fiber size and myonuclear number, decreased cardiac muscle mass, and increased fat mass in male mice, consistent with its role as an inhibitor of skeletal muscle mass. The mechanism of gender specificity remains to be clarified.     

MicroRNA-27a promotes myoblast proliferation by targeting myostatin

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in skeletal muscle development as well as in regulation of muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of miRNAs in myoblast proliferation remains poorly understood. Here we found that the expression of miR-27a was increased during proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts. Moreover, overexpression of miR-27a in C2C12 cells promoted myoblast proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin, a critical inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis. In addition, the miR-27a was confirmed to target myostatin 3'UTR by a luciferase reporter analysis. Together, these results suggest that miR-27a promotes myoblast proliferation through targeting myostatin.     

Myostatin regulates cell survival during C2C12 myogenesis

During the myogenic process in vitro, proliferating myoblasts withdraw irreversible from the cell cycle, acquire an apoptosis-resistant phenotype, and fuse into mature myotubes. The key factor regulating both myocyte cell cycle exit and viability during this transition is the the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(cip1). Here we show that the expression of myostatin, a TGF-beta superfamily member known to act as a negative regulator of muscle growth, is upregulated in the course of C2C12 cells myogenesis. We also show that transient transfection of C2C12 myobasts with an expression vector encoding mouse myostatin cDNA efficiently inhibits cell proliferation. Paradoxically, myostatin cDNA overexpression also enhances the survival of differentiating C2C12 myocytes, probably by a mechanism involving, at least in part, upregulation of p21(cip1) mRNA. Our results suggest that myostatin role in myogenesis is more complex than initially suggested and involves another level of regulation apart from inhibition of myoblast proliferation.     

Myostatin is a novel tumoral factor that induces cancer cachexia

Humoral and tumoral factors collectively promote cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting by increasing protein degradation. Although several humoral proteins, namely TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) and IL (interleukin)-6, have been shown to induce skeletal muscle wasting, there is a lack of information regarding the tumoral factors that contribute to the atrophy of muscle during cancer cachexia. Therefore, in the present study, we have characterized the secretome of C26 colon cancer cells to identify the tumoral factors involved in cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting. In the present study, we show that myostatin, a procachectic TGFβ (transforming growth factor β) superfamily member, is abundantly secreted by C26 cells. Consistent with myostatin signalling during cachexia, treating differentiated C2C12 myotubes with C26 CM (conditioned medium) resulted in myotubular atrophy due to the up-regulation of muscle-specific E3 ligases, atrogin-1 and MuRF1 (muscle RING-finger protein 1), and enhanced activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the C26 CM also activated ActRIIB (activin receptor type?II B)/Smad and NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) signalling, and reduced the activity of the IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1)/PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt pathway, three salient molecular features of myostatin action in skeletal muscles. Antagonists to myostatin prevented C26 CM-induced wasting in muscle cell cultures, further confirming that tumoral myostatin may be a key contributor in the pathogenesis of cancer cachexia. Finally, we show that treatment with C26 CM induced the autophagy-lysosome pathway and reduced the number of mitochondria in myotubes. These two previously unreported observations were recapitulated in skeletal muscles collected from C26 tumour-bearing mice.     

Relationships between transforming growth factor-beta1, myostatin, and decorin: implications for skeletal muscle fibrosis

Recent studies have shown that myostatin, first identified as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth, may also be involved in the formation of fibrosis within skeletal muscle. In this study, we further explored the potential role of myostatin in skeletal muscle fibrosis, as well as its interaction with both transforming growth factor-beta1 and decorin. We discovered that myostatin stimulated fibroblast proliferation in vitro and induced its differentiation into myofibroblasts. We further found that transforming growth factor-beta1 stimulated myostatin expression, and conversely, myostatin stimulated transforming growth factor-beta1 secretion in C2C12 myoblasts. Decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, was found to neutralize the effects of myostatin in both fibroblasts and myoblasts. Moreover, decorin up-regulated the expression of follistatin, an antagonist of myostatin. The results of in vivo experiments showed that myostatin knock-out mice developed significantly less fibrosis and displayed better skeletal muscle regeneration when compared with wild-type mice at 2 and 4 weeks following gastrocnemius muscle laceration injury. In wild-type mice, we found that transforming growth factor-beta1 and myostatin co-localize in myofibers in the early stages of injury. Recombinant myostatin protein stimulated myofibers to express transforming growth factor-beta1 in skeletal muscles at early time points following injection. In summary, these findings define a fibrogenic property of myostatin and suggest the existence of co-regulatory relationships between transforming growth factor-beta1, myostatin, and decorin.     

肌抑素(Myostatin)基因突变体活性区的克隆、表达及活性的研究

肌抑素Myostatin是肌肉发育的重要抑制因子,肌抑素的突变,使其抑制功能的全部或几乎全部丧失,表现为肌肉细胞的增大和肌纤维束的增加。采用PCR技术,从肌抑素天然突变的双肌牛皮尔蒙特（Piedmontese）的基因组中扩增得到肌抑素突变体的活性区,并将其亚克隆到pMD18T载体上,利用基因重组技术,构建原核表达质粒pET30a(+)/action/Myostatin,在大肠杆菌中高效表达,采用亲和层析法纯化表达产物,并将其共孵育于离体培养的绵羊肌肉细胞,检测肌抑素突变体的生化活性,结果显示肌抑素的突变体具有促进肌肉细胞增生和增殖的功能。     

Enhancement of C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation by GASP-2, a myostatin inhibitor

BackgroundGASP-2 is a secreted multi-domain glycoprotein known as a specific inhibitor of myostatin and GDF-11. Here we investigate the role of GASP-2 on myogenesis and the effect of its glycosylation on its activity.MethodsGASP-2 overexpression or knockdown by shRNAs were carried out on C2C12 myoblasts cells. In silico analysis of GASP-2 protein was performed to identify its glycosylation sites. We produced a mouse recombinant GASP-2 protein in a prokaryotic system to obtain a fully deglycosylated protein allowing us to study the importance of this post-translational modification on GASP-2 activity.ResultsBoth mature and deglycosylated GASP-2 proteins increase C2C12 proliferation and differentiation by inhibiting the myostatin pathway. In silico and western-blot analyses revealed that GASP-2 presents one consensus sequence for N-glycosylation and six potential sites of mucin-type O-glycosylation.ConclusionsGASP-2 promotes myogenesis and thus independently of its glycosylation.General significanceThis is the first report demonstrating that GASP-2 promotes proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts by inhibiting the canonical pathway of myostatin.     

Beta-adrenergic agonist hyperplastic effect is associated with increased fibronectin gene expression and not mitogen-activated protein kinase modulation in C2C12 cells

Beta-adrenergic agonists (beta-AA) enhance protein accretion in skeletal muscles. This stimulation is characterized by increased protein synthesis, increased expression of myofibrillar protein genes and a depression in protein degradation in animals, and increased proliferation and DNA synthesis in muscle cells in vitro. The mechanism or signal path in muscle whereby beta-AA would elicit these physiological effects upon binding to the G protein-coupled beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) is unclear. C2C12 myoblasts were used to determine beta-AR ligand binding characteristics, cyclic AMP synthesis in response to isoproterenol (ISO) stimulation, and effects of ISO on DNA synthesis, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), and fibronectin (FN) gene expression. Results showed that C2C12 cells possess beta-AR which are specific, saturable, and of high affinity (Kd = 0.2 nM). Forskolin and ISO stimulated cAMP production by = 20-fold (P<0.001) and 17-fold (P<0.001), respectively. ISO and the cAMP analog, 8-bromo-cAMP (8-BC) stimulated DNA synthesis in proliferating cells by 150% (P<0.05) and 200% (P<0.01), respectively, without modulating MAPK activity, whereas addition of fetal bovine serum to culture resulted in a 500% increase (P<0.01) in DNA synthesis and MAPK activation. DNA synthesis in C2C12 cells treated with ISO, 8-BC, or FBS was abolished in the presence of 25 microM PD098059, an MAPK-kinase inhibitor, suggesting that an MAPK-dependent pathway is likely involved in C2C12 proliferation. During cAMP elevating agent stimulation, basal MAPK activity may be sufficient, in the presence of other putative signaling molecules, to support proliferation in these cells. ISO or 8-BC treatment increased FN mRNA by three- and seven-fold, respectively, in growing C2C12 cells implying a connection between increased DNA synthesis and FN gene expression.     

miR-22 regulates C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation by targeting TGFBR1

Recently, miR-22 was found to be differentially expressed in different skeletal muscle growth period, indicated that it might have function in skeletal muscle myogenesis. In this study, we found that the expression of miR-22 was the most in skeletal muscle and was gradually up-regulated during mouse myoblast cell (C2C12 myoblast cell line) differentiation. Overexpression of miR-22 repressed C2C12 myoblast proliferation and promoted myoblast differentiation into myotubes, whereas inhibition of miR-22 showed the opposite results. During myogenesis, we predicted and verified transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1), a key receptor of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, was a target gene of miR-22. Then, we found miR-22 could regulate the expression of TGFBR1 and down-regulate the Smad3 signaling pathway. Knockdown of TGFBR1 by siRNA suppressed the proliferation of C2C12 cells but induced its differentiation. Conversely, overexpression of TGFBR1 significantly promoted proliferation but inhibited differentiation of the myoblast. Additionally, when C2C12 cells were treated with different concentrations of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), the level of miR-22 in C2C12 cells was reduced. The TGFBR1 protein level was significantly elevated in C2C12 cells treated with TGF-β1. Moreover, miR-22 was able to inhibit TGF-β1-induced TGFBR1 expression in C2C12 cells. Altogether, we demonstrated that TGF-β1 inhibited miR-22 expression in C2C12 cells and miR-22 regulated C2C12 cell myogenesis by targeting TGFBR1.     

Myostatin induces cyclin D1 degradation to cause cell cycle arrest through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/GSK-3 beta pathway and is antagonized by insulin-like growth factor 1

Myostatin is a transforming growth factor beta superfamily member and is known as an inhibitor of skeletal muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. Exposure to myostatin induces G1 phase cell cycle arrest. In this study, we demonstrated that myostatin down-regulates Cdk4 activity via promotion of cyclin D1 degradation. Overexpression of cyclin D1 significantly blocked myostatin-induced proliferation inhibition. We further showed that phosphorylation at threonine 286 by GSK-3beta was required for myostatin-stimulated cyclin D1 nuclear export and degradation. This process is dependent upon the activin receptor IIB and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway but not Smad3. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) treatment or Akt activation attenuated the myostatin-stimulated cyclin D1 degradation as well as the associated cell proliferation repression. In contrast, attenuation of IGF-1 signaling caused C2C12 cells to undergo apoptosis in response to myostatin treatment. The observation that IGF-1 treatment increases myostatin expression through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway suggests a possible feedback regulation between IGF-1 and myostatin. These findings uncover a novel role for myostatin in the regulation of cell growth and cell death in concert with IGF-1.     

Ceramide 1-phosphate stimulates proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts

Recent studies have established specific cellular functions for different bioactive sphingolipids in skeletal muscle cells. Ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) is an important bioactive sphingolipid that has been involved in cell growth and survival. However its possible role in the regulation of muscle cell homeostasis has not been so far investigated. In this study, we show that C1P stimulates myoblast proliferation, as determined by measuring the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA, and progression of the myoblasts through the cell cycle. C1P induced phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and the product of retinoblastoma gene, and enhanced cyclin D1 protein levels. The mitogenic action of C1P also involved activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt, ERK1/2 and the mammalian target of rapamycin. These effects of C1P were independent of interaction with a putative G(i)-coupled C1P receptor as pertussis toxin, which maintains G(i) protein in the inactive form, did not affect C1P-stimulated myoblast proliferation. By contrast, C1P was unable to inhibit serum starvation- or staurosporine-induced apoptosis in the myoblasts, and did not affect myogenic differentiation. Collectively, these results add up to the current knowledge on cell types targeted by C1P, which so far has been mainly confined to fibroblasts and macrophages, and extend on the mechanisms by which C1P exerts its mitogenic effects. Moreover, the biological activities of C1P described in this report establish that this phosphosphingolipid may be a relevant cue in the regulation of skeletal muscle regeneration, and that C1P-metabolizing enzymes might be important targets for developing cellular therapies for treatment of skeletal muscle degenerative diseases, or tissue injury.     

The CLIC5 (chloride intracellular channel 5) involved in C2C12 myoblasts proliferation and differentiation

CLIC5 (chloride intracellular channel 5) is a CLIC (chloride intracellular channel) with various functions. Its high expression in skeletal muscle and association with actin‐based cytoskeleton suggests that it may play an important role in muscle tissue. This study was conducted to examine whether CLIC5 regulates the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. Differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts induced by switching to a differentiation culture medium was accompanied by a significant increase of CLIC5 protein expression level. Constitutive overexpression of CLIC5 was associated with reduced cell proliferation and more cells from G2/M phase into G0/G1 phase, followed by increased number and size of myotubes and up‐regulation of muscle‐specific proteins of myosin heavy chain, myogenin and desmin. These results demonstrate that CLIC5 is involved in C2C12 proliferation and myogenic differentiation in vitro.     

Altered expression of genes regulating skeletal muscle mass in the portacaval anastomosis rat

We examined the temporal relationship between portacaval anastomosis (PCA), weight gain, changes in skeletal muscle mass and molecular markers of protein synthesis, protein breakdown, and satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats with end to side PCA (n=24) were compared with sham-operated pair-fed rats (n=24). Whole body weight, lean body mass, and forelimb grip strength were determined at weekly intervals. The skeletal muscle expression of the ubiquitin proteasome system, myostatin, its receptor (the activin 2B receptor) and its signal, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) p21, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and its receptor (IGF-I receptor-alpha), and markers of satellite cell proliferation and differentiation were quantified. PCA rats did not gain body weight and had lower lean body mass, forelimb grip strength, and gastrocnemius muscle weight. The skeletal muscle expression of the mRNA of ubiquitin proteasome components was higher in PCA rats in the first 2 wk followed by a lower expression in the subsequent 2 wk (P<0.01). The mRNA and protein of myostatin, activin 2B receptor, and CDKI p21 were higher, whereas IGF-I and its receptor as well as markers of satellite cell function (proliferating nuclear cell antigen, myoD, myf5, and myogenin) were lower at weeks 3 and 4 following PCA (P < 0.05). We conclude that PCA resulted in uninhibited proteolysis in the initial 2 wk. This was followed by an adaptive response in the later 2 wk consisting of an increased expression of myostatin that may have contributed to reduced muscle protein synthesis, impaired satellite cell function, and lower skeletal muscle mass.