Dynamic formation of microenvironments at the myotendinous junction correlates with muscle fiber morphogenesis in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Muscle development involves the specification and morphogenesis of muscle fibers that attach to tendons. After attachment, muscles and tendons then function as an integrated unit to transduce force to the skeletal system and stabilize joints. The attachment site is the myotendinous junction, or MTJ, and is the primary site of force transmission. We find that attachment of fast-twitch myofibers to the MTJ correlates with the formation of novel microenvironments within the MTJ. The expression or activation of two proteins involved in anchoring the intracellular cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, Focal adhesion kinase (Fak) and beta-dystroglycan is up-regulated. Conversely, the extracellular matrix protein Fibronectin (Fn) is down-regulated. This degradation of Fn as fast-twitch fibers

SUBMITTER: Snow CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2655214 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature