Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026
09:29
Skeletal Muscle Gender Dimorphism from Proteomics
Published on: December 14, 2011
CBP/p300 and muscle differentiation: no HAT, no muscle
A Polesskaya1, I Naguibneva, L Fritsch
1CNRS UPR 9079 and Service de Cytofluorométrie, Institut André Lwoff, 7 rue Guy Moquet, 94800 Villejuif, France.
The EMBO Journal
|December 1, 2001
Summary
Histone acetyl-transferase (HAT) activity of CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300 is essential for muscle cell differentiation. This HAT activity is critical for cell fusion and specific gene expression during this process.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Muscle cell differentiation involves complex transcriptional regulation.
- Two key coactivator families, GCN5/PCAF and CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300, are vital for this process.
- Previous research did not establish a role for CBP/p300's histone acetyl-transferase (HAT) activity in muscle differentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the necessity of CBP/p300 HAT activity in myogenic terminal differentiation.
- To determine which specific events in muscle differentiation depend on CBP/p300 HAT function.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a chemical inhibitor targeting CBP/p300.
- Employed a negative transdominant mutant of CBP/p300.
- Assessed the impact on myogenic terminal differentiation, cell fusion, and gene expression.
Main Results:
- CBP/p300 HAT activity was demonstrated to be critical for myogenic terminal differentiation.
- This requirement was specifically linked to cell fusion and the expression of certain genes.
- The study identified distinct roles for coactivator enzymatic functions at different differentiation stages.
Conclusions:
- CBP/p300 HAT activity is indispensable for key aspects of muscle cell terminal differentiation.
- The enzymatic function of coactivators is stage-specific within the differentiation program.
- These findings clarify the functional requirements of distinct coactivators during muscle development.
