title: M-cadherin and beta-catenin participate in differentiation of rat satellite cells.
abstract: Cadherins belong to a large family of membrane glycoprotein adhesion receptors that mediate homophilic, calcium-dependent cell adhesion. During myogenesis, cadherins are involved in initial cell-to-cell recognition; and it has also been suggested that they play a role in the initiation of myoblast fusion into multinuclear myotubes. One of the members of the cadherin family, M-cadherin, has been detected during embryogenesis in myogenic cells of somitic origin and in adult muscles. We investigated the distribution and function of M-cadherin and beta-catenin during differentiation of myoblasts in primary cultures of rat satellite cells. We found that M-cadherin was accumulated at the areas of contact between fusing myoblasts and that it colocalized with beta-catenin. Moreover, beta-catenin colocalized with actin in pre-fusing myoblasts. We show that myoblast differentiation is accompanied by an increase in the amounts of M-cadherin and beta-catenin both at the mRNA and the protein level. Flow cytometry analysis showed that M-cadherin expression was highest in fusing myoblasts. In addition, an antibody specific for the extracellular domain of M-cadherin inhibited the fusion of cultured myoblasts. These data suggest that regulation of the M-cadherin level plays an important role in the differentiation of satellite cells and in myoblast fusion in primary cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology, Faculty of Biology, Warsaw University, 1 Miecznikowa Street, PL-02-096 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wróbel
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brzóska
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moraczewski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D008297:Male; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000502:physiology; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D032496:Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051176:beta Catenin; C070896:M-cadherin