Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Identification of MyoD Interactome Using Tandem Affinity Purification Coupled to Mass Spectrometry
14:47

Identification of MyoD Interactome Using Tandem Affinity Purification Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

Published on: May 17, 2016

MyoD induces growth arrest independent of differentiation in normal and transformed cells

M Crescenzi1, T P Fleming, A B Lassar

  • 1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

The MyoD gene, crucial for muscle development, also halts cancer cell growth. This growth inhibition occurs independently of muscle differentiation, highlighting MyoD's role in activating cellular growth suppression pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • MyoD is a key transcription factor regulating muscle cell differentiation.
  • Understanding MyoD's broader cellular functions, particularly in non-muscle contexts, is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of MyoD in regulating cell growth, especially in cancer cells.
  • To determine the mechanism and specific domains of MyoD responsible for growth inhibition.

Main Methods:

  • Expression of MyoD in various tumor-derived and oncogene-transformed cell lines.
  • Assays for cell proliferation, including colony formation efficiency and single-cell analysis.
  • Functional mapping of MyoD domains, focusing on the basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) motif, using site-directed mutagenesis.

Main Results:

  • MyoD expression induced significant growth arrest in diverse cancer cell lines.
  • Growth inhibition was observed even in cells not undergoing muscle differentiation.
  • The bHLH domain, particularly the basic region, was essential for MyoD's growth inhibitory activity, while the helix-loop-helix region was not.
  • Mutant MyoD proteins unable to bind DNA or activate muscle-specific enhancers still inhibited growth, suggesting a distinct pathway.

Conclusions:

  • MyoD possesses potent, intrinsic growth-inhibitory functions independent of its role in myogenesis.
  • These inhibitory effects are mediated through a pathway parallel to muscle differentiation.
  • MyoD serves as a prototypic example of a gene capable of activating intracellular growth suppression mechanisms, with potential implications for cancer therapy.

More Related Videos

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement10:45

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement

Published on: July 26, 2017

Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells06:20

Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells

Published on: May 7, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation02:36

Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation

Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts01:13

Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts

De novo myogenesis, or the formation of muscle fibers, begins during the early embryonic stages. The skeletal muscle is formed from somites– blocks of embryonic cell layers. The somites are further divided into dermatomes, myotomes, sclerotomes, and syndetomes. Among these, the myotomes give rise to muscle fibers.
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription factors...
Satellite Stem Cells and Muscular Dystrophy01:21

Satellite Stem Cells and Muscular Dystrophy

Satellite stem cells or myosatellite cells are quiescent stem cells that Alexander Mauro first identified in 1961. These cells are located between the sarcolemma, the plasma membrane of muscle fibers, and the basal lamina, the connective tissue sheath covering it. These mononucleated cells are activated in response to muscle injury, can transform into myoblasts, and may form or repair muscle fibers. Myosatellite cells can provide additional myonuclei for muscle regeneration or return to a...