Identification of membrane proteins participating myogenesis

多细胞生物的协调发展依赖于细胞间的通讯和粘附。我们的研究一直集中在鉴定膜蛋白参与这种细胞间的相互作用，在肌发生。首先，我们从融合的肌细胞制备mRNA的cDNA文库，其与成肌细胞的mRNA相减。通过对该文库的筛选，我们发现了一些新的膜蛋白。我们现在正试图了解这些蛋白质在肌肉发生中的功能。我们还成功地从融合的肌肉细胞中分离出许多单克隆抗体。最后，我们研究了ADAM蛋白酶在肌形成中的作用，我们克隆了由肌形成转录因子激活的膜蛋白。基于对Meltrin α -/-和Meltrin β -/-小鼠的分析，我们得出结论，这些ADAM蛋白确实参与了体内肌肉发生。

Coordinated development of multi-cellular organisms depends on intercellular communications and adhesions. Our research has been focused on identification of membrane proteins participating such cell-cell interactions during myogenesis. Inititially, we made a cDNA library of mRNA prepared from fusing muscle cells, which was subtracted with mRNA of myoblasts. From the screening of this library, we could identify a couple of novel membrane proteins. We are now trying to know functions of these proteins in myogenesis. We also succeeded to isolate a number of monoclonal antibodies from fusing muscle cells. Finally we studied roles of ADAM proteases in myogenesis, which we had cloned as membrane proteins activated by myogenic transcription factors. Based on the analyses of Meltrin α -/- and Meltrin β -/- mice, we concluded that these ADAM proteins indeed participate in myogenesis in vivo.