PMID: 9181127Jan 1, 1997Paper

Early stages of myogenesis as seen through the action of the myf-5 gene

Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de biologie et de ses filiales
M Buckingham

Abstract

Skeletal muscles in the vertebrate body are derived from the somites, epithelial spheres of cells which segment from the paraxial mesoderm in a rostral-caudal developmental gradient on either side of the neural tube. Initially, cells in the somite are multipotent and their fate depends on the environmental influences exerted by neighbouring tissues, notably the axial structures (neural tube and notochord), and the dorsal ectoderm. The ventralizing influence exerted by the notochord and floor plate of the neural tube through the action of sonic hedgehog, results in the differentiation of sclerotome which will give rise to cartilage and bone of the vertebral column and ribs. The dorsal derivatives of the somite, formed from cells in the dermomyotome, are derm and skeletal muscle. The onset of skeletal myogenesis is characterized by expression of myogenic factors, notably myf-5 and MyoD, members of the superfamily of helix-loop-helix transcription factors. Another member of the myogenic factor family, myogenin, is subsequently expressed and leads to muscle cell differentiation with activation of the downstream muscle-specific genes. Dorsalization of the somite and subsequent myogenesis depends on the presence of axial structures a...Continue Reading

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