Glycolysis supports embryonic muscle growth by promoting myoblast fusion
Abstract
We report that glycolytic genes are synchronously activated in midembryogenesis in developing Drosophila muscles and that muscle-targeted attenuation of their expression leads to reduced muscle size and the presence of unfused myoblasts. Importantly, a "thin muscle" phenotype is also observed in fast muscle fibers of pgam2 zebrafish morphants, strongly suggesting a conserved role of glycolysis in promoting myoblast fusion-based muscle growth. We also show that insulin positively regulates glycolysis and that blocking the insulin pathway phenocopies the loss of function phenotypes of glycolytic genes, leading to myoblast fusion arrest and reduced muscle size. These findings led us to propose that setting metabolism to glycolysis-based high-rate biomass production is part of a core myogenic program that promotes formation of syncytial muscles.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- November 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1301262110
- Bibcode:
- 2013PNAS..11018982T