Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

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

10.0K

SMAD2 promotes myogenin expression and terminal myogenic differentiation

Émilie Lamarche1, Hamood AlSudais1, Rashida Rajgara1

  • 1Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Rm 3106Q, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M5, Canada.

Development (Cambridge, England)
|January 19, 2021
PubMed

Insights

SMAD2 promotes muscle cell differentiation independently of TGFβ signaling, enhancing myotube formation and regeneration. This finding reveals SMAD2 as a key regulator in muscle development and repair.

Area of Science:

  • Muscle Biology
  • Cellular Differentiation
  • Molecular Regulation

Background:

  • SMAD2 is a transcription factor regulated by the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily.
  • TGFβ or myostatin signaling typically inhibits myogenesis via SMAD2 and SMAD3 activation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of SMAD2 in myogenic differentiation, particularly its function independent of TGFβ signaling.
  • To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms by which SMAD2 influences muscle cell development.

Main Methods:

  • SMAD2 knockout and overexpression in primary myoblasts.
  • Analysis of myogenic differentiation markers, including myogenin.
  • In vivo studies using SMAD2 knockout in muscle satellite cells.
  • Assessment of muscle fiber caliber and regeneration after injury.

Main Results:

  • SMAD2 expression is induced during myogenic differentiation.
  • SMAD2 knockout resulted in smaller myotubes with reduced myogenin expression.
  • SMAD2 overexpression enhanced differentiation, fusion, and myogenin expression, independent of TGFβ receptors.
  • Loss of SMAD2 in vivo led to decreased muscle fiber size and impaired regeneration.

Conclusions:

  • SMAD2 acts as a positive regulator of terminal myogenic differentiation.
  • SMAD2 promotes myogenesis, in part, by regulating Myogenin (Myog) expression.
  • SMAD2 plays a crucial role in maintaining muscle fiber size and facilitating muscle regeneration.
Keywords:
MouseMuscle developmentMyogeninRegenerationSMAD2TGFβ

More Related Videos

Stable Knockdown of Genes Encoding Extracellular Matrix Proteins in the C2C12 Myoblast Cell Line Using Small-Hairpin shRNA12:19

Stable Knockdown of Genes Encoding Extracellular Matrix Proteins in the C2C12 Myoblast Cell Line Using Small-Hairpin shRNA

Published on: February 12, 2020

8.2K
Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene08:18

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene

Published on: December 31, 2014

28.4K

Related Concept Videos

TGF - β Signaling Pathway01:16

TGF - β Signaling Pathway

The TGF-β signaling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, motility, and development. TGF-β ligands that induce TGF-β signaling are synthesized in their latent form. Several proteases or cell surface receptors such as integrins act upon the latent form, releasing the active ligand. There are three types of mammalian TGF-βs: (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) that bind as homodimers or heterodimers to TGF-β receptors. The TGF-β receptors...
9.1K
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...
2.2K
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
7.4K
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...
5.5K
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012...
2.4K