Mechanical stretch inhibits myoblast-to-adipocyte differentiation through Wnt signaling

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 329; no. 1; pp. 381 - 385
• Main Authors: Akimoto, Takayuki, Ushida, Takashi, Miyaki, Shigeru, Akaogi, Hiroshi, Tsuchiya, Kohei, Yan, Zhen, Williams, R. Sanders, Tateishi, Tetsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2005
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Adipocytes - cytology; Adipocytes - metabolism; Animals; Azo Compounds - pharmacology; C2C12; Cell Differentiation; Cell Line; Cell Lineage; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - metabolism; Ligands; Mechanical stress; Mechanical stretch; Mice; Myoblasts; Myoblasts - cytology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Stress, Mechanical; Trans-differentiation; Wnt Proteins; Wnt10; Wnt10; C2C12; Mechanical stress; Mechanical stretch; Trans-differentiation; Adipocytes; Myoblasts
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.01.136

Myoblasts are able to differentiate into other mesenchymal lineages including adipocytes and osteoblasts. However, it is not known how this differentiation is normally regulated in intact animals and humans. Here, we subjected cultured C2C12 myoblasts to cyclic mechanical stretch (20% elongation) during differentiation into adipocytes. Mechanical stretch inhibited the myoblast-to-adipocyte differentiation significantly, concurrent with an enhanced expression of Wnt10b mRNA. Inhibition of the Wnt signaling by incubation of the myoblasts with a soluble Wnt ligand, sFRP-2, abolished the inhibitory function of mechanical stretch on adipogenesis. These findings provide evidence that mechanical stretch inhibits myoblast-to-adipocyte differentiation possibly through Wnt signaling.