Separation of mouse crushed muscle extract into distinct mitogenic activities by heparin affinity chromatography

Extracts from gently crushed adult mouse skeletal muscles (CMEs) contain potent myoblast mitogens, and may be used as a model system to investigate myotrophic factors released by adult muscles following injury. CME was separated into four peaks of mitogenic activity by heparin affinity chromatography. The fraction of CME that did not bind to heparin contained transferrin (Tf). Three peaks of mitogenic activity were eluted from the heparin-agarose columns at NaCl concentrations of 0.4 M, 0.9 M, and 2.0 M. A 46 kDa protein that shared antigenicity with the BB isoform of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) was present in the 0.4 M NaCl eluant. Mitogenic activity in the 2.0 M NaCl peak eluted identically to purified basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), did not act additively to saturating amounts of purified bFGF, and was neutralized by anti-bFGF antibodies. The 0.9 M NaCl eluant acted additively to the combination of three known growth factors for myoblasts, bFGF, insulin-like growth factor 1, and epidermal growth factor, to stimulate C2 myoblast proliferation, suggesting this fraction contains a mitogenic activity which does not utilize (and hence compete for) receptors for the known mitogens for myoblasts. Additionally, the 0.9 M NaCl eluant did not stimulate proliferation of fibroblast-like cells derived from muscle tissue. The unbound, 0.4 M NaCl, 0.9 M NaCl, and 2.0 M NaCl eluants from the heparin-agarose column acted additively to one another to stimulate myoblast proliferation. Our data suggest that Tf, PDGF-BB-like molecules, bFGF-like activity, and an uncharacterized heparin-binding myoblast mitogen could be released after muscle injury and act to stimulate satellite cell proliferation.