Mechanical stimulation increases proliferation, differentiation and protein expression in culture: Stimulation effects are substrate dependent

Myogenesis is a complex sequence of events, including the irreversible transition from the proliferation-competent myoblast stage into fused, multinucleated myotubes. Myogenic differentiation is regulated by positive and negative signals from surrounding tissues. Stimulation due to stretch- or load-induced signaling is now beginning to be understood as a factor which affects various signal transduction pathways, gene sequences and protein synthesis. One indication of which cells are competent to undergo the fusion process is their expression of two proteins, Myo-D and myogenin. The mechanism by which the cells are able to to regulate Myo-D and myogenin is poorly understood. In the present work, we investigate the role of mechanical loading, through specific receptors to intracellular matrix proteins such as laminin and fibronectin, in both Myo-D and myogenin expression in C2C12 cells. We propose to elucidate also the signaling pathway by which this mechanical stimulation can causes an increase in protein expression. When mechanically stimulated via laminin receptors on cell surface, C2C12 cells showed an increase in cell proliferation and differentiation. Populations undergoing mechanical stimulation through laminin receptors show an increase in expression of Myo-D, myogenin and an increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Cells stimulated via fibronectin receptors show no significant increases in fusion competence. We conclude that load induced signalling through integrin containing laminin recepotors plays a role in myoblast differentiation and fusion.