Transfer of a protein encoded by a single nucleus to nearby nuclei in multinucleated myotubes
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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

DNA Transfection of Mammalian Skeletal Muscles using In Vivo Electroporation
Published on: October 19, 2009
1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0444.
Abstract:
Specialized regions of muscle fibers may result from differential gene expression within a single fiber. In order to investigate the range of action of individual nuclei in multinucleated myotubes, C2 myoblasts were transfected to obtain stable cell lines that express a reporter protein that is targeted to the nucleus. Hybrid myotubes were then formed containing one or a few transfected nuclei as well as a large number of nuclei from the parental strain. In order to determine how far the products of a single nucleus extend, transfected nuclei were labeled with [3H]thymidine before fusion and the myotubes were stained to identify the reporter protein. In such myotubes the fusion protein was not confined to its nucleus of origin, but was restricted to nearby nuclei.
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