title: The temporal specific role of WNT/β-catenin signaling during myogenesis.
abstract: Disruption of WNT/β-catenin signaling causes muscle developmental defects. However, it has been unclear how WNT/β-catenin signaling regulates each step of myogenesis. Thein vitroculture of primary myoblasts and C2C12 cells (a myoblast cell line) has the ability to differentiate into myofibers in culture with differentiation inducers. Thesein vitrosystems are useful to investigate each step of muscle development, ranging from cell proliferation to homeostasis, under the control of experimental conditions. Our recent study shows that WNT/β-catenin signaling can regulate myogenesis in a temporal specific manner by controlling the gene expression of cyclin A2 (Ccna2) and cell division cycle 25C (Cdc25c) during myoblast proliferation and fermitin family homolog 2 (Fermt2) during myoblast fusion and differentiation, respectively. In the well-differentiated myofibers, WNT/β-catenin signaling plays a role in the maintenance of their structure through a cadherin/β-catenin/actin complex formation, which is important for connecting a myofiber's cytoskeleton to the surrounding extracellular matrix. Thus, our recent study coupled with previous findings indicates that WNT/β-catenin signaling regulates myogenesis in a variety of ways, and any failure of these steps of myogenesis causes muscle developmental defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, USA ; Center for Craniofacial Research, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, USA.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scruggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, USA ; Center for Craniofacial Research, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, USA ; The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iwata
keywords: WNT signaling; cell cycle; muscle homeostasis; myoblast fusion