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Published on: February 12, 2020
Androgen receptor expression during C2C12 skeletal muscle cell line differentiation
Francesca Wannenes1, Massimiliano Caprio, Lucia Gatta
1Department of Sciences of Human Movement and Sport, IUSM-University of Sport and Movement Sciences, Rome, Italy.
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
|July 1, 2008
Summary
Androgen receptor (AR) expression and localization are crucial for skeletal muscle development. Testosterone influences AR activity and expression, impacting key myogenic factors like myogenin and myosin heavy chains.
Area of Science:
- Muscle Biology
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The Androgen Receptor (AR) pathway plays a role in skeletal muscle development.
- The precise molecular mechanisms of androgen-mediated muscle enhancement remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Androgen Receptor (AR) expression and localization during skeletal muscle cell differentiation.
- To elucidate the role of testosterone in modulating AR activity and its downstream targets in myogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the C2C12 skeletal muscle cell line for in vitro studies.
- Examined AR expression levels and subcellular localization under varying testosterone concentrations.
- Assessed the expression of myogenic markers such as myogenin and myosin heavy chains (MyHC).
Main Results:
- AR expression increased during myoblast proliferation and differentiation, remaining elevated in myotubes.
- Testosterone influenced AR localization, shifting it to the nucleus in proliferating cells and cytoplasm in myotubes at low doses.
- High testosterone doses significantly increased AR expression during proliferation and differentiation.
- Testosterone treatment upregulated the expression of myogenin, MyHC, and GRIP-1.
Conclusions:
- Androgen Receptor (AR) expression and localization are dynamic during skeletal muscle differentiation.
- Testosterone modulates AR activity and expression, playing a pivotal role in skeletal muscle development.
- AR and its coregulatory proteins are key regulators of the myogenic process, influencing the expression of critical muscle proteins.
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