Myostatin (GDF8) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily. The finding that animals with a knockout or mutation of the myostatin-encoding gene show increased muscle mass suggests that myostatin negatively regulates muscle growth. The study reported here was designed to investigate the effect of induction of maternal myostatin antibody on the growth performance a...

Lambs with the myostatin (MSTN) g+6723G>A mutation have a greater muscle mass, which is believed to be associated with reduced myostatin protein abundance. This experiment was designed to determine if differences in allelic frequency of the MSTN g+6723G>A mutation affected abundance of myostatin protein from birth to 24 wk of age. A Poll Dorset cross White Suffolk ram (MSTN A/G) was mated to 35...

The objective of this study was to investigate a potential association of an inactive myostatin allele with early calf mortality, and evaluate its effect on growth and carcass traits in a crossbred population. Animals were obtained by mating F1 cows to F1 (Belgian Blue x British Breed) or Charolais sires. Cows were obtained from mating Hereford, Angus, and MARC III (1/4 Hereford, 1/4 Angus, 1/4...

Myostatin, a member of the TGF-beta family, negatively regulates skeletal muscle development. Depression of myostatin activity leads to increased muscle growth and carcass lean yield. In an attempt to down-regulate myostatin, transgenic mice were produced with a ribozyme-based construct or a myostatin pro domain construct. Though the expression of the ribozyme was detected, muscle development w...

The molecular mechanisms behind aging-related declines in muscle function are not well understood, but the growth factor myostatin (MSTN) appears to play an important role in this process. Additionally, epidemiological studies have identified a positive correlation between skeletal muscle mass and longevity. Given the role of myostatin in regulating muscle size, and the correlation between musc...

Recent portrayals of growth differentiation factor (GDF)-11 as an endocrine fountain of youth fail to consider the competitive influences of myostatin, a homologous protein with true endocrine action that binds the identical receptor, activin receptor IIb (ActRIIb). Subsequent studies have disproven the original premise that circulating levels of GDF11, but not those of myostatin, decline with ...

Mutations in the myostatin gene lead to double-muscling in cattle indicating that it is a negative regulator of the total number of muscle fibres. Myostatin expression was analysed by RT-PCR in three developing bovine muscles. It decreased during differentiation in Semitendinosus and Biceps femoris, and increased in the late differentiating Masseter during gestation. A combination of in situ hy...

M yostatin and GDF11 are highly homologous transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family members implicated in skeletal and cardiac muscle growth. Myostatin promotes muscle wasting. In contrast, GDF11 was identified as a factor that reverses aging-related cardiac hypertrophy, and in separate experiments, GDF11 supplementation was linked to the reversal of aging-associated skeletal muscle dysfunctio...