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by Jonathan Weitzman
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RESEARCH ROUND-UP
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Blocking myostatin
Email: Jonathan Weitzman - jonathanweitzman@hotmail.com
News from The Scientist 2002, 3(1):20021128-03 doi:10.1186/20021128-03
| Published | | 28 November 2002 |
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Myostatin is a member of the TGF-β family and is thought to function as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. In the November 28 Nature, Sasha Bogdanovich and colleagues demonstrate that inhibition of myostatin could be used as a therapeutic approach to increase muscle mass and treat myopathy diseases (Nature, 420:418-421, November 28, 2002).
Antibodies against myostatin were tested in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The treated mice gained weight, and displayed increased muscle mass and caloric output. The treatment caused a functional improvement of the dystrophic phenotype, suggesting that similar pharmacological strategies targeting myostatin might be applied to treat human muscular diseases and offer an alternative to gene therapy.
References
| 1. | | A.C. McPherron, et al., "Regulation of skeletal muscle mass in mice by a new TGF-beta superfamily member," Nature, 387:83-90, 1997.
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| 2. | | [http://www.nature.com]
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| | | S. Bogdanovich et al., "Functional improvement of dystrophic muscle by myostatin blockade," Nature, 420:418-421, November 28, 2002.
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