Avian MyoD and c-Jun coordinately induce transcriptional activity of the 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine nuclear receptor c-ErbAalpha1 in proliferating myoblasts

Role of thyroid hormone in skeletal muscle physiology

Thyroid hormones (TH) are crucial for development, growth, differentiation, metabolism and thermogenesis. Skeletal muscle (SM) contractile function, myogenesis and bioenergetic metabolism are influenced by TH. These effects depend on the presence of the TH transporters MCT8 and MCT10 in the plasma membrane, the expression of TH receptors (THRA or THRB) and hormone availability, which is determined either by the activation of thyroxine (T₄) into triiodothyronine (T₃) by type 2 iodothyronine deiodinases (D2) or by the inactivation of T₄ into reverse T₃ by deiodinases type 3 (D3). SM relaxation and contraction rates depend on T₃ regulation of myosin expression and energy supplied by substrate oxidation in the mitochondria. The balance between D2 and D3 expression determines TH intracellular levels and thus influences the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells, indicating an important role of TH in muscle repair and myogenesis. During critical illness, changes in TH levels and in THR and deiodinase expression negatively affect SM function and repair. This review will discuss the influence of TH action on SM contraction, bioenergetics metabolism, myogenesis and repair in health and illness conditions.

Thyroid Hormone Receptor α Plays an Essential Role in Male Skeletal Muscle Myoblast Proliferation, Differentiation, and Response to Injury

Thyroid hormone plays an essential role in myogenesis, the process required for skeletal muscle development and repair, although the mechanisms have not been established. Skeletal muscle develops from the fusion of precursor myoblasts into myofibers. We have used the C2C12 skeletal muscle myoblast cell line, primary myoblasts, and mouse models of resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) α and β, to determine the role of thyroid hormone in the regulation of myoblast differentiation. T3, which activates thyroid hormone receptor (TR) α and β, increased myoblast differentiation whereas GC1, a selective TRβ agonist, was minimally effective. Genetic approaches confirmed that TRα plays an important role in normal myoblast proliferation and differentiation and acts through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Myoblasts with TRα knockdown, or derived from RTH-TRα PV (a frame-shift mutation) mice, displayed reduced proliferation and myogenic differentiation. Moreover, skeletal muscle from the TRα1PV mutant mouse had impaired in vivo regeneration after injury. RTH-TRβ PV mutant mouse model skeletal muscle and derived primary myoblasts did not have altered proliferation, myogenic differentiation, or response to injury when compared with control. In conclusion, TRα plays an essential role in myoblast homeostasis and provides a potential therapeutic target to enhance skeletal muscle regeneration.

Studies of complex biological systems with applications to molecular medicine: the need to integrate transcriptomic and proteomic approaches

Omics approaches to the study of complex biological systems with potential applications to molecular medicine are attracting great interest in clinical as well as in basic biological research. Genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics are characterized by the lack of an a priori definition of scope, and this gives sufficient leeway for investigators (a) to discern all at once a globally altered pattern of gene/protein expression and (b) to examine the complex interactions that regulate entire biological processes. Two popular platforms in "omics" are DNA microarrays, which measure messenger RNA transcript levels, and proteomic analyses, which identify and quantify proteins. Because of their intrinsic strengths and weaknesses, no single approach can fully unravel the complexities of fundamental biological events. However, an appropriate combination of different tools could lead to integrative analyses that would furnish new insights not accessible through one-dimensional datasets. In this review, we will outline some of the challenges associated with integrative analyses relating to the changes in metabolic pathways that occur in complex pathophysiological conditions (viz. ageing and altered thyroid state) in relevant metabolically active tissues. In addition, we discuss several new applications of proteomic analysis to the investigation of mitochondrial activity.

Barx2 controls myoblast fusion and promotes MyoD-mediated activation of the smooth muscle alpha-actin gene

Remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton is a critical early step in skeletal muscle differentiation. Smooth muscle alpha-actin (SMA) is one of the earliest markers of myoblast differentiation and is important for the migration and cell shape changes that precede fusion. We have found that satellite cell-derived primary myoblasts from mice lacking the Barx2 homeobox gene show altered patterns of actin remodeling, reduced cell migration, and delayed differentiation. Consistent with the role of SMA in these processes, Barx2(-)(/)(-) myoblasts also show reduced expression of SMA mRNA and protein. The proximal SMA promoter contains binding sites for muscle regulatory factors and serum response factor as well as a conserved homeodomain binding site (HBS). We found that Barx2 binds to the HBS element and potentiates up-regulation of SMA promoter activity by MyoD. We also show that Barx2, MyoD, and serum response factor simultaneously occupy the SMA promoter in cells and that Barx2 interacts with MyoD. Overall these data indicate that Barx2 cooperates with other muscle-expressed transcription factors to regulate the early cytoskeletal remodeling events that underlie efficient myoblast differentiation.