title: Stimulation of myogenic differentiation by a neuregulin, glial growth factor 2. Are neuregulins the long-sought muscle trophic factors secreted by nerves?
abstract: It has long been known that nerves stimulate growth and maintenance of skeletal muscles in ways not dependent on physical contacts, but numerous attempts to identify and characterize the myotrophic agent(s) secreted by nerves have been unsuccessful. We here suggest that products of the neuregulin gene may be these agents. The neuregulins are a family of proteins made by alternative splicing of a single transcript to give as many as 15 protein products. One member of this family, glial growth factor 2 (rhGGF2) is a very potent stimulator of myogenesis in L6A1 myoblasts, giving a maximal stimulation of cell fusion and creatine kinase elevation at a concentration of 1 ng/ml (18 pM). The stimulation of myogenesis is not rapid, but it is prolonged, continuing over a period of at least 6 days. The effects of rhGGF2 are additive with those of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) or its analog R3-IGF-I, suggesting that the actions of these two myotrophic agents differ in at least one rate-limiting step. We have observed one possible difference; unlike the IGFs, rhGGF2 does not induce elevation of the steady state level of myogenin mRNA.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244-1220 and Cambridge NeuroScience, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Florini
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: D Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Ewton
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sklar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D006224:Cricetinae; D020904:Glia Maturation Factor; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000502:physiology; D007700:Kinetics; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020904:Glia Maturation Factor; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D003402:Creatine Kinase