Da-hai Zhu | PubMed Health

PubMed2005

[Genes and their functional mechanisms in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy].

Muscular dystrophy (MD), a group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive skeletal muscle wasting and weakness, can be classified into several groups according to Mendelian inheritance patterns and clinical features. Many genes related to MD have been identified and cloned by genetic linkage analysis and positional cloning strategy. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms giving rise to muscular dystrophy have made a progress by the functional analysis of proteins encoded by candidate genes for MD. This article reviews genes and their functional mechanisms in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy.

Calpain↗

PubMed2002

[MEF2 and myogenesis].

Recent genetic and biochemical studies have demonstrated that skeletal muscle growth and differentiation in vertebrates are controlled by a core regulatory network which consists of two families of transcriptional factors, the MyoD group basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) muscle regulatory factors (MRFs) and the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) group of MADS-box regulators. During development, MEF2 interacts genetically and physically with different members of this myogenic network and together they cooperate to positively or negatively regulate transcription of downstream muscle-specific differentiation genes. This paper reviews current understanding of molecular mechanism of these interactions and essential roles that MEF2 plays in skeletal muscle growth and differentiation during development.

English Abstract↗