Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement
Published on: July 26, 2017
CD36 is required for myoblast fusion during myogenic differentiation
Seung-Yoon Park1, Youngeun Yun, In-San Kim
1Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dongguk University and Medical Institute of Dongguk University, Gyeongju 780-714, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Recently, CD36 has been found to be involved in the cytokine-induced fusion of macrophage. Myoblast fusion to form multinucleated myotubes is required for myogenesis and muscle regeneration. Because a search of gene expression database revealed the attenuation of CD36 expression in the muscles of muscular dystrophy patients, the possibility that CD36 could be required for myoblast fusion was investigated. CD36 expression was markedly up-regulated during myoblast differentiation and localized in multinucleated myotubes. Knockdown of endogenous CD36 significantly decreased the expression of myogenic markers as well as myotube formation. These results support the notion that CD36 plays an important role in cell fusion during myogenic differentiation. Our finding will aid the elucidation of the common mechanism governing cell-to-cell fusion in various fusion models.
Related Concept Videos
Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts
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...
Master Transcription Regulators
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

