Adhesion molecules and skeletal myogenesis

Abstract

Skeletal muscle forms from proliferating myoblasts that differentiate, fuse into multinucleate myofibers, assemble a contractile apparatus, and form synapses with motor neurons. Proteins mediating both cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, including extracellular matrix proteins, integrins, cadherins, members of the immunoglobulin family, and the dystrophin-containing glycoprotein complex, are expressed by skeletal muscle and play important roles in muscle differentiation. Here, we review what is known about the function of various adhesion molecules in four major steps of skeletal muscle development: differentiation, fusion, myofibrillogenesis and synaptogenesis.