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Specific regulation of N‐CAM/D2‐CAM cell adhesion molecule during skeletal muscle development.
Author(s) -
Moore S.E.,
Walsh F.S.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03675.x
Subject(s) - myogenesis , biology , skeletal muscle , neural cell adhesion molecule , myocyte , cell adhesion molecule , microbiology and biotechnology , cell adhesion , cell , anatomy , biochemistry
The expression of the N‐CAM/D2‐CAM cell adhesion molecule was studied in skeletal muscle. In cell cultures derived from adult human muscle N‐CAM/D2‐CAM was found at the cell surface of myoblasts and myotubes but not fibroblasts, showing that N‐CAM/D2‐CAM is a specific gene product of muscle. Western blots showed that the anti N‐CAM/D2‐CAM antibody reacted with a single protein band of 180 000 daltons in these cultures that differed in mobility from the broad band of 150 000‐200 000 daltons found in brain. N‐CAM/D2‐CAM is also expressed by muscle at certain stages of development. Human foetal muscle of 10 and 20 weeks gestation showed N‐CAM/D2‐CAM around developing myofibres while both fast and slow adult muscle fibres did not express N‐CAM/D2‐CAM, suggesting that the protein is down regulated during myofibre maturation. This was studied further in developing rat muscle where N‐CAM/D2‐CAM was found on myofibres in the day 1 neonate, but had disappeared by day 9. N‐CAM/D2‐CAM is, however, re‐expressed in human muscle disease where there is muscle regeneration such as in polymyositis, and here is associated with classic regenerating myofibres. N‐CAM/D2‐CAM expression is temporally regulated and is expressed only at times of synapse formation consistent with the idea that it may be involved in early nerve‐muscle interactions.