The FgfrL1 receptor is required for development of slow muscle fibers

FgfrL1, which interacts with Fgf ligands and heparin, is a member of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (Fgfr) family. FgfrL1-deficient mice show two significant alterations when compared to wildtype mice: They die at birth due to a malformed diaphragm and they lack metanephric kidneys. Utilizing gene arrays, qPCR and in situ hybridization we show here that the diaphragm of FgfrL1 knockout animals lacks any slow muscle fibers at E18.5 as indicated by the absence of slow fiber markers Myh7, Myl2 and Myl3. Similar lesions are also found in other skeletal muscles that contain a high proportion of slow fibers at birth, such as the extraocular muscles. In contrast to the slow fibers, fast fibers do not appear to be affected as shown by expression of fast fiber markers Myh3, Myh8, Myl1 and MylPF. At early developmental stages (E10.5, E15.5), FgfrL1-deficient animals express slow fiber genes at normal levels. The loss of slow fibers cannot be attributed to the lack of kidneys, since Wnt4 knockout mice, which also lack metanephric kidneys, show normal expression of Myh7, Myl2 and Myl3. Thus, FgfrL1 is specifically required for embryonic development of slow muscle fibers.