Expression abnormality of myostatin in malformed chicken embryos

Abstract

Myostatin is a potent growth and differentiation factor involved in skeletal muscle tissue formation in vertebrates. However, recent studies in chicken embryos suggest that the myostatin is expressed even before the establishment of myogenic lineage,and the functions of myostatin are not limited to skeletal muscle, because of its ubiquitous expression in chicken. No studies have thus far been definitively reported the expression patterns of myostatin in malformed chicken embryos. The present experiment was designed to study myostatin mRNA expression and distribution pattern in normal and malformed chicken embryos (HH26) using whole-mount in situ hybridization. The expression and distribution patterns of myostatin in the two kinds of developing chicken embryos were compared. The results showed that myostatin mRNA expression and distribution patterns in normal chicken embryos were symmetry and orderliness. However, myostatin expression in malformed chicken embryos was disorderly and unsystematic. In conclusion, we found for the first time that there existed different myostatin expression and distribution patterns between normal and malformed chicken embryos, and the results may be useful in further studying myostatin functions. © 2012 Springer-Verlag GmbH.