Regulation of muscle cell growth and differentiation by the MyoD family of helix-loop-helix proteins.
The skeletal muscle cell system provides a powerful model for exploring the mechanistic basis for the antagonism between cell growth and differentiation. The recent identification of the MyoD family of muscle-specific transcription factors now offers opportunities to dissect at the molecular level of the mechanisms through which defined cell type-specific transcription factors can activate an entire differentiation program as well as to unravel the mechanisms through which growth factor and oncogenic signals can disrupt cellular differentiation. Because the mechanisms for growth factor signaling and induction of cell proliferation are conserved in diverse cell types, it is tempting to speculate that the molecular mechanisms responsible for the antagonism between cell proliferation and differentiation in muscle cells are also operative in other cell types. Resolution of this question, however, must await identification of the regulatory factors that specify cell fate in other lineages.
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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology*; D017570:MyoD Protein; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006133:Growth Substances; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D017570:MyoD Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors