Myostatin Expression in the Heart is Temporally and Regionally Distinct
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Abstract
Recently, myostatin, a protein produced by the skeletal muscle to regulate muscle growth, has been identified in other tissues including the heart. However, its expression across the healthy and diseased heart, which would provide insight into its physiological significance, is currently unknown. Thus, our aim was to determine whether myostatin expression across the heart is uniform or region-specific. Using qPCR, we measured myostatin mRNA levels in both ventricles and the septum of healthy and failing mouse hearts at various time points post-myocardial infarction (MI). Unexpectedly, the right ventricle was the main source of myostatin in healthy mice. Post-MI, myostatin expression was unique, both in time course and magnitude, across each cardiac region. Given that location provides insight into physiological function, understanding the specific region of myostatin expression within the heart is the first necessary step to determine the stressors that drive its response and corresponding autocrine, paracrine, and/or endocrine functions.