Cripto regulates skeletal muscle regeneration and modulates satellite cell determination by antagonizing myostatin

摘要

Skeletal muscle is the most abundant tissue in our body, and it is characterized by the ability to regenerate after it has been damaged by injury or disease. Regeneration mainly depends on satellite cells (i.e., stem cells residing in the muscle) (1). Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying satellite cell activity in muscle regeneration is crucial to boost their therapeutic efficacy, and this understanding is incomplete. Here, we found that Cripto is a regulator of satellite cells and skeletal muscle regeneration and may provide a promising target for future therapy. Cripto is an extracellular protein essential for early vertebrate development and a hallmark of embryonic stem cells, but little is known regarding its role in adult life (2). In keeping with the idea that classes of molecules that direct embryonic development are reactivated in the adult during tissue repair and regeneration (3), we reasoned that Cripto might be involved in tissue regeneration.