title: Myostatin deficiency is associated with an increase in number of total axons and motor axons innervating mouse tibialis anterior muscle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myostatin (Mstn) is a secreted protein that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. However, a critical evaluation of neuromuscular aspects of hypertrophied muscles induced by Mstn deficiency has not been done.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the tibialis anterior muscle-nerve interrelationships in wild-type and Mstn-null mice of both genders by immunohistochemical analyses, which allowed us to count the number of total axons and motor axons and estimate the size of motor units and the innervation ratio of the tibialis anterior muscle (TAm).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an increase in the number of total axons and motor axons, and higher values in both the motor unit size and the innervation ratio of Mstn-null TAm compared with those of wild-type TAm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that myostatin is involved either directly in the control of neuromuscular interrelationships or indirectly through its effect on muscle size.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 866 Dynamique Musculaire et Métabolisme, 2 Place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jublanc
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonnieu
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bacou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055435:Myostatin / Q000172:deficiency*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: C525912:Mstn protein, mouse; D055435:Myostatin; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; C051774:neurofilament protein H; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase