NMDA receptor-mediated calcium influx plays an essential role in myoblast fusion

Kun Ho Lee, Jae Yong Park, Kyungjin Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ca 2+ influx is known to be prerequisite for myoblast fusion during skeletal muscle differentiation. Here, we show that the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is involved in the Ca 2+ influx of C2C12 myoblasts. NMDA receptor (NR) 1 and NR2D were expressed in the myoblasts during muscle differentiation. Using Ca 2+ imaging analysis, Ca 2+ influx through NRs was directly measured at a single-cell level. l-Glutamate increased myoblast fusion as well as intracellular Ca 2+ levels, and both effects were completely blocked by MK801, a selective antagonist of NRs. Furthermore, treatment with the Ca 2+ ionophore A23187 recovered MK801-mediated inhibition of myoblast fusion. These results suggest that the NRs may play an important role in myoblast fusion by mediating Ca 2+ influx.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)47-52
Number of pages6
JournalFEBS Letters
Volume578
Issue number1-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2004 Dec 3
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from National Research Laboratory and Brain Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier Program in Neuroscience from Korea Ministry of Science and Technology to K. Kim. K.H. Lee and J.Y. Park are supported by BK 21 research fellowship from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. The manuscript was edited by Biomedical English Editing Service, Portland OR 97229, USA.

Keywords

  • C2C12 myoblast
  • Ca influx
  • Muscle differentiation
  • Myoblast fusion
  • N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'NMDA receptor-mediated calcium influx plays an essential role in myoblast fusion'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this