Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) binds to heparan sulfate proteoglycans at the cell surface and to receptors with tyrosine kinase activity. Prevention of binding between cell surface heparan sulfate and bFGF (i) substantially reduces binding of fibroblast growth factor to its cell-surface receptors, (ii) blocks the ability of bFGF to support the growth of Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts, and (iii) induces terminal differentiation of MM14 skeletal muscle cells, which is normally repressed by fibroblast growth factor. These results indicate that cell surface heparan sulfate is directly involved in bFGF cell signaling.

Skeletal muscle aging results in a gradual loss of skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle function and decreased regenerative capacity, which can lead to sarcopenia and increased mortality. While the mechanisms underlying sarcopenia remain unclear, the skeletal muscle stem cell, or satellite cell, is required for muscle regeneration. Therefore, identification of signaling pathways affecting satellite cell function during aging may provide insights into therapeutic targets for combating sarcopenia. Here, we show that a cell-autonomous loss in self-renewal occurs via alterations in FGF Receptor 1 and p38αβ MAPK signaling in aged satellite cells. We further demonstrate that pharmacological manipulation of these pathways can ameliorate age-associated self-renewal defects. Thus, our data highlight an age-associated deregulation of a satellite cell homeostatic network and reveal potential therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of progressive muscle wasting.

Satellite cells are myogenic precursors responsible for skeletal muscle regeneration. Satellite cells are absent in the Pax-7-/- mouse, suggesting that this transcription factor is crucial for satellite cell specification [Seale, P., Sabourin, L.A., Girgis-Gabardo, A., Mansouri, A., Gruss, P., Rudnicki, M.A., 2000. Pax7 is required for the specification of myogenic satellite cells. Cell 102, 777-786]. Analysis of Pax-7 expression in activated satellite cells unexpectedly revealed substantial heterogeneity within individual clones. Further analyses show that Pax-7 and myogenin expression are mutually exclusive during differentiation, where Pax-7 appears to be up-regulated in cells that escape differentiation and exit the cell cycle, suggesting a regulatory relationship between these two transcription factors. Indeed, overexpression of Pax-7 down-regulates MyoD, prevents myogenin induction, and blocks MyoD-induced myogenic conversion of 10T1/2 cells. Overexpression of Pax-7 also promotes cell cycle exit even in proliferation conditions. Together, these results suggest that Pax-7 may play a crucial role in allowing activated satellite cells to reacquire a quiescent, undifferentiated state. These data support the concept that satellite cell self-renewal may be a primary mechanism for replenishment of the satellite cell compartment during skeletal muscle regeneration.

Abstract. Analysis of MM14 mouse myoblasts demonstrates that terminal differentiation is repressed by pure preparations of both acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Basic FGF is ~30-fold more potent than acidic FGF and it exhibits half maximal activity in clonal assays at 0.03 ng/ml (2 pM). FGF repression occurs only during the G~ phase of the cell cycle by a mechanism that appears to be independent of ongoing cell proliferation. When exponentially growing myoblasts are deprived of FGF, cells become postmitotic within 2-3 h, express muscle-specific proteins within 6-7 h, and commence fusion within 12-14 h. Although expression of these three terminal differentiation phenotypes occurs at different times, all are initiated by a single regulatory "commitment" event in G~. The entire population commits to terminal differentiation within 12.5 h of FGF removal as all cells complete the cell cycle and move into Gt. Differentiation does not require a new round of DNA synthesis. Comparison of MM14 behavior with other myoblast types suggests a general model for skeletal muscle development in which specific growth factors serve the dual role of stimulating myoblast proliferation and directly repressing terminal differentiation. SKE L Ea"A L muscle development involves an initial period of myoblast replication, followed by a phase in which some myoblasts continue to proliferate while others undergo terminal differentiation. The latter process involves the permanent cessation of DNA synthesis, activation of muscle-specific gene expression, and the fusion of single cells into multinucleated muscle fibers. In vitro studies indicate that the onset of terminal differentiation is delayed by media that are rich in serum and/or embryo extract components (3,15,21,22,27,28,33,37,40,42); and there is a general consensus that this is due to the influence of growth factors. Studies from our laboratory with a permanent skeletal muscle line derived from a mouse muscle satellite cell (MM14), indicated that the critical component in embryo extract was probably fibroblast growth factor (FGF) I (27, 28). However, since the FGF preparations available at that time were <1% pure, and since several forms of FGF were thought to exist, the role of FGF remained ambiguous. Subsequent studies of BC3H1 muscle cells have corroborated the role of FGF in repressing muscle differentiation (23,24). However,

Myogenesis in the embryo and the adult mammal consists of a highly organized and regulated sequence of cellular processes to form or repair muscle tissue that include cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Data from cell culture and in vivo experiments implicate both FGFs and HGF as critical regulators of these processes. Both factors require heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans for signaling from their respective receptors. Since syndecans, a family of cell-surface transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are implicated in FGF signaling and skeletal muscle differentiation, we examined the expression of syndecans 1-4 in embryonic, fetal, postnatal, and adult muscle tissue, as well as on primary adult muscle fiber cultures. We show that syndecan-1, -3, and -4 are expressed in developing skeletal muscle tissue and that syndecan-3 and -4 expression is highly restricted in adult skeletal muscle to cells retaining myogenic capacity. These two HSPGs appear to be expressed exclusively and universally on quiescent adult satellite cells in adult skeletal muscle tissue, suggesting a role for HSPGs in satellite cell maintenance or activation. Once activated, all satellite cells maintain expression of syndecan-3 and syndecan-4 for at least 96 h, also implicating these HSPGs in muscle regeneration. Inhibition of HSPG sulfation by treatment of intact myofibers with chlorate results in delayed proliferation and altered MyoD expression, demonstrating that heparan sulfate is required for proper progression of the early satellite cell myogenic program. These data suggest that, in addition to providing potentially useful new markers for satellite cells, syndecan-3 and syndecan-4 may play important regulatory roles in satellite cell maintenance, activation, proliferation, and differentiation during skeletal muscle regeneration.