A new function for odorant receptors: MOR23 is necessary for normal tissue repair in skeletal muscle

Myofibers with an abnormal branching cytoarchitecture are commonly found in various neuromuscular diseases as well as after severe muscle injury. These aberrant myofibers are fragile and muscles containing a high percentage of these myofibers are weaker and more prone to injury. To date the mechanisms and molecules regulating myofiber branching have been obscure. Recent work analyzing the role of mouse odorant receptor 23 (MOR23) in muscle regeneration revealed that MOR23 is necessary for proper skeletal muscle regeneration in mice as loss of MOR23 leads to increased myofiber branching. Further studies demonstrated that MOR23 expression is induced when muscle cells were extensively fusing and plays an important role in controlling cell migration and adhesion. These data demonstrate a novel role for an odorant receptor in tissue repair and identify the first molecule with a functional role in myofiber branching.