Biomaterial Database

Involvement of M-cadherin in terminal differentiation of skeletal muscle cells. 1995

M Zeschnigk, and D Kozian, and C Kuch, and M Schmoll, and A Starzinski-Powitz

Institut der Anthropologie und Humangenetik für Biologen, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, FRG.

Cadherins are a gene family encoding calcium-dependent cell adhesion proteins which are thought to act in the establishment and maintenance of tissue organization. M-cadherin, one member of the family, has been found in myogenic cells of somitic origin during embryogenesis and in the adult. These findings have suggested that M-cadherin is involved in the regulation of morphogenesis of skeletal muscle cells. Therefore, we investigated the function of M-cadherin in the fusion of myoblasts into myotubes (terminal differentiation) in cell culture. Furthermore, we tested whether M-cadherin might influence (a) the expression of troponin T, a typical marker of biochemical differentiation of skeletal muscle cells, and (b) withdrawal of myoblasts from the cell cycle (called terminal commitment). The studies were performed by using antagonistic peptides which correspond to sequences of the putative M-cadherin binding domain. Analogous peptides of N-cadherin have previously been shown to interfere functionally with the N-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. In the presence of antagonistic M-cadherin peptides, the fusion of myoblasts into myotubes was inhibited. Analysis of troponin T revealed that it was downregulated at the protein level although its mRNA was still detectable. In addition, withdrawal from the cell cycle typical for terminal commitment of muscle cells was not complete in fusion-blocked myogenic cells. Finally, expression of M-cadherin antisense RNA reducing the expression of the endogenous M-cadherin protein interfered with the fusion process of myoblasts. Our data imply that M-cadherin-mediated myoblast interaction plays an important role in terminal differentiation of skeletal muscle cells.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D009024	Morphogenesis	The development of anatomical structures to create the form of a single- or multi-cell organism. Morphogenesis provides form changes of a part, parts, or the whole organism.
D002448	Cell Adhesion	Adherence of cells to surfaces or to other cells.	Adhesion, Cell,Adhesions, Cell,Cell Adhesions
D002454	Cell Differentiation	Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function that leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.	Differentiation, Cell,Cell Differentiations,Differentiations, Cell
D002459	Cell Fusion	Fusion of somatic cells in vitro or in vivo, which results in somatic cell hybridization.	Cell Fusions,Fusion, Cell,Fusions, Cell
D002460	Cell Line	Established cell cultures that have the potential to propagate indefinitely.	Cell Lines,Line, Cell,Lines, Cell
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D000595	Amino Acid Sequence	The order of amino acids as they occur in a polypeptide chain. This is referred to as the primary structure of proteins. It is of fundamental importance in determining PROTEIN CONFORMATION.	Protein Structure, Primary,Amino Acid Sequences,Sequence, Amino Acid,Sequences, Amino Acid,Primary Protein Structure,Primary Protein Structures,Protein Structures, Primary,Structure, Primary Protein,Structures, Primary Protein
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014162	Transfection	The uptake of naked or purified DNA by CELLS, usually meaning the process as it occurs in eukaryotic cells. It is analogous to bacterial transformation (TRANSFORMATION, BACTERIAL) and both are routinely employed in GENE TRANSFER TECHNIQUES.	Transfections