Journal Article

Regulation of Slow and Fast Muscle Myofibrillogenesis by Wnt/β-Catenin and Myostatin Signaling

Boonen, Rick, Zivkovic, Danica, van Rooijen, Carina, Tee, Jin-Ming

2009

Overview

Deviation from proper muscle development or homeostasis results in various myopathic conditions. Employing genetic as well as chemical intervention, we provide evidence that a tight regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is essential for muscle fiber growth and maintenance. In zebrafish embryos, gain-of-Wnt/beta-catenin function results in unscheduled muscle progenitor proliferation, leading to slow and fast muscle hypertrophy accompanied by fast muscle degeneration. The effects of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling on fast muscle hypertrophy were rescued by misexpression of Myostatin or p21(CIP/WAF), establishing an in vivo regulation of myofibrillogenesis by Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and Myostatin. Epistatic analyses suggest a possible genetic interaction between Wnt/beta-catenin and Myostatin in regulation of slow and fast twitch muscle myofibrillogenesis.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Animals / beta Catenin - metabolism / Cell Biology/Developmental Molecular Mechanisms / Cell Proliferation / Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 - metabolism / Danio rerio / Degeneration / Developmental Biology / Embryos / Epistasis / Epistasis, Genetic / Gene expression / Gene Expression Regulation / Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Genetics and Genomics / Homeostasis / Hyperactivity / Hypertrophy / Laboratories / Medical research / Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch - pathology / Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch - pathology / Muscles - embryology / Musculoskeletal system / Myogenesis / Myostatin / Myostatin - metabolism / Regulations / Rodents / Signal Transduction / Stem cells / Wnt protein / Wnt Proteins - metabolism / Zebrafish / Zebrafish - embryology / β-Catenin