Distinct roles for classical nuclear import receptors in the growth of multinucleated muscle cells

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Monica N. Hall, Emory University; Christine A. Griffin, Emory University; Adriana Simionescu, Emory University; Anita Corbett, Emory University; Grace K Pavlath, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2011-09-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.06.032
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Developmental Biology
• ISSN: 0012-1606
• Volume: 357
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 248
• End Page: 258
• Grant/Funding Information: We thank Dr. Yoshihiro Yoneda for KPNA immunostaining protocols. We thank Dr. Denis Guttridge for NF-κB p65 antibody and TNF-alpha. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health grant AR051372 and AR052730 to GKP.
• Keywords: Myoblast; Classical nuclear import; Nucleocytoplasmic transport; Cell fusion; Multinucleated myotube
• Research Categories: Chemistry, Biochemistry

Abstract

Proper muscle function is dependent on spatial and temporal control of gene expression in myofibers. Myofibers are multinucleated cells that are formed, repaired and maintained by the process of myogenesis in which progenitor myoblasts proliferate, differentiate and fuse. Gene expression is dependent upon proteins that require facilitated nuclear import, however little is known about the regulation of nucleocytoplasmic transport during the formation of myofibers. We analyzed the role of karyopherin alpha (KPNA), a key classical nuclear import receptor, during myogenesis. We established that five karyopherin alpha paralogs are expressed by primary mouse myoblasts in vitro and that their steady-state levels increase in multinucleated myotubes, suggesting a global increase in demand for classical nuclear import during myogenesis. We used siRNA-mediated knockdown to identify paralog-specific roles for KPNA1 and KPNA2 during myogenesis. KPNA1 knockdown increased myoblast proliferation, whereas KPNA2 knockdown decreased proliferation. In contrast, no proliferation defect was observed with KPNA4 knockdown. Only knockdown of KPNA2 decreased myotube growth. These results identify distinct pathways involved in myoblast proliferation and myotube growth that rely on specific nuclear import receptors suggesting that regulation of classical nuclear import pathways likely plays a critical role in controlling gene expression in skeletal muscle.