Suppressed Cell Proliferation and Differentiation Following an Over-expression of Myostatin is Associated with Inhibited Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor II and Myogenin in Rat L6 Myoblasts

Myostatin (MSTN) and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are a known inhibitor and stimulators of proliferation and differentiation of muscle cells, respectively. The present study was performed to investigate the relationship of MSTN-induced growth inhibition to expression of the IGF system components and myogenin, a muscle cell-specific transcription factor, in rat L6 myoblasts. The L6 cells transfected with a green fluorescent protein-MSTN plasmid expression construct had a 47% less cell number than mock-transfected cells after 3-d serum-free culture, accompanied by delayed differentiation which was suggested by inhibited aggregation of cells. Moreover, cells transfected with the expression construct had decreased expression of IGF-II and myogenin genes, but not IGF-I or its receptor genes, as examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The reduced mitosis of the L6 cells transfected with the MSTN-expression construct increased following an addition of either IGF-I or IGF-II to the culture medium, but not to the level of mock-transfected cells. By contrast, myogenin gene expression in these cells increased after the addition of either IGF to the level of mock-transfected cells. Collectively, these results suggest that the inhibitory effect of MSTN on L6 cell proliferation and differentiation is likely to be partly mediated by serially suppressed expression of IGF-II and myogenin genes, not IGF-I gene.