Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Behavior by Pax3 and Pax7

  1. M. Lagha*,
  2. T. Sato*,
  3. L. Bajard,
  4. P. Daubas*,
  5. M. Esner,
  6. D. Montarras*,
  7. F. Relaix and
  8. M. Buckingham*
  1. *Department of Developmental Biology, CNRS URA2578, Pasteur Institute, 75015 Paris, France
  1. Correspondence: margab{at}pasteur.fr

Abstract

Pax genes have important roles in the regulation of stem cell behavior, leading to tissue differentiation. In the case of skeletal muscle, Pax3 and Pax7 perform this function both during development and on regeneration in the adult. The myogenic determination gene Myf5 is directly activated by Pax3, leading to the formation of skeletal muscle. Fgfr4 is also a direct Pax3 target and Sprouty1, which encodes an intracellular inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling, is under Pax3 control. Orchestration of FGF signaling, through Fgfr4/Sprouty1, modulates the entry of cells into the myogenic program, thus controling the balance between stem cell self-renewal and tissue differentiation. This and other aspects of Pax3/7 function in regulating the behavior of skeletal muscle stem cells are discussed.

Footnotes

  • Present addresses: Mouse Molecular Genetics group, UMR S787, Groupe Myologie, INSERM-UPMC-Paris VI, Faculté de Médecine Pitié-Salpétrière, 105 bd de l’Hôpital, 75634, Paris Cedex 13, France;

  • Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.

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