Wagner KR, Liu X, Chang X, Allen RE.
Departments of Neurology and Molecular Biology and Genetics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Myostatin is an endogenous inhibitor of muscle conserved across diverse species. In the absence of myostatin, there is massive muscle growth in mice, cattle, and humans. Previous studies in the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy demonstrate that inhibiting myostatin attenuates several features of dystrophic muscle. These findings have encouraged the development of human therapies to block myostatin. However, little is known of the long-term effects on muscle of myostatin blockade. To evaluate potential sequelae from the prolonged absence of myostatin, senescent myostatin null (mstn(-/-)) mice were studied. Senescent mstn(-/-) mice continue to have normal muscle with increased mass and strength relative to controls. Muscles of senescent mstn(-/-) mice regenerate robustly from both chronic and acute injury. Early markers of regeneration are enhanced in the absence of myostatin, suggesting a mechanism for the attenuation of dystrophic features found in mdx mice lacking myostatin.
－－Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Feb 15;102(7):2519-24. Epub 2005 Feb 07.
myostatin长期缺乏后的肌肉再生
肌肉生长抑素（Myostatin）是一种较为保守并存在于许多物种肌肉中的内源性抑制因子。在缺乏myostatin的情况下，鼠、牛和人的肌肉会出现大块增长。肌营养不良症小鼠模型mdx的前期研究中发现抑制myostatin可以改善肌萎缩。这使得人们有兴趣通过阻断myostatin来治疗人类的肌营养不良症。Wagner等为评价长期缺乏myostatin所造成的影响，采用了myostatin基因敲除衰老鼠，研究中发现myostatin基因敲除衰老鼠与对照鼠相比肌容积和肌力均更强，在遭受急性和慢性损伤时肌肉再生迅速，一些反映肌肉再生的标志在这种小鼠中均明显增加。
