Murray J, Huss JM. Estrogen-related receptor ␣ regulates skeletal myocyte differentiation via modulation of the ERK MAP kinase pathway. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 301: C630 -C645, 2011. First published May 11, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00033.2011.-Myocyte differentiation involves complex interactions between signal transduction pathways and transcription factors. The estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) regulate energy substrate uptake, mitochondrial respiration, and biogenesis and may target structural gene programs in striated muscle. However, ERR␣'s role in regulating myocyte differentiation is not known. ERR␣ and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ coactivator-1␣ (PGC-1␣) are coordinately upregulated with metabolic and skeletal muscle-specific genes early in myogenesis. We analyzed effects of ERR␣ overexpression and loss of function in myogenic models. In C2C12 myocytes ERR␣ overexpression accelerated differentiation, whereas XCT790 treatment delayed myogenesis and resulted in myotubes with fewer mitochondria and disorganized sarcomeres. ERR␣Ϫ/Ϫ primary myocytes showed delayed myogenesis, resulting in structurally immature myotubes with reduced sarcomeric assembly and mitochondrial function. However, sarcomeric and metabolic gene expression was unaffected or upregulated in ERR␣Ϫ/Ϫ cells. Instead, ERR␣Ϫ/Ϫ myocytes exhibited aberrant ERK activation early in myogenesis, consistent with delayed myotube formation. XCT790 treatment also increased ERK phosphorylation in C2C12, whereas ERR␣ overexpression decreased early ERK activation, consistent with the opposing effects of these treatments on differentiation. The transient induction of MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), which mediates ERK dephosphorylation at the onset of myogenesis, was lost in ERR␣Ϫ/Ϫ myocytes and in XCT790-treated C2C12. The ERR␣-PGC-1␣ complex activates the Dusp1 gene, which encodes MKP-1, and ERR␣ occupies the proximal 5= regulatory region during early differentiation in C2C12 myocytes. Finally, treatment of ERR␣Ϫ/Ϫ myocytes with MEK inhibitors rescued normal ERK signaling and myogenesis. Collectively, these data demonstrate that ERR␣ is required for normal skeletal myocyte differentiation via modulation of MAP kinase signaling. orphan nuclear receptors; mitogen-activated protein kinases; gene regulation; skeletal muscle THE ESTROGEN-RELATED RECEPTORS (ERRs) are a family of nuclear receptor transcription factors comprising three related isoforms, ERR␣ (NR3B1), ERR (NR3B2), and ERR␥ (NR3B3), encoded by distinct genes (15). Although structurally related to the estrogen receptors, ERRs are not responsive to estradiol and have no endogenous ligand identified to date. We previously showed (22) that ERR␣ and ERR␥ overexpression increases fatty acid (FA) uptake and -oxidation in primary cardiac myocytes. In cell-based analyses ERR␣ is required for induction of electron transport/oxidative phosphorylation genes and mitochondrial biogenesis in conjunction with its coactivator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ (PPAR␥) coactivator (PG...