Myostatin belongs to the transforming growth differentiation factor-b (TGF-b) superfamily. The

molecule is a negative regulator of muscle growth and its mode of action is under current

investigation.

Myostatin was first identified in 1997 by McPherron et al. who found out that nullmutant

knockout mice were significantly larger than wild-type animals and exhibited

a large and widespread increase in skeletal muscle mass due to an increase of muscle

fiber number (hyperplasia) and thickness (hypertrophy). Other groups identifiedmutations in the myostatin gene in naturally bred “double-muscles” cattle breeds

accordance with the findings in animal models, increased myostatin levels have been observed

in patients with muscle wasting (Gonzales-Cadavid et al. 1998; Yarasheski et al. 2002).

Shi et al. (2007) have found that myostatin deficiency inhibits adipogenesis in vivo, even

when mice are fed a high-fat diet. Transgenic overexpression of myostatin propeptide, which

inhibits myostatin signaling, also inhibits body fat gain with a high-fat diet (Zhao et al. 2005). Similar

alterations in myostatin signaling are associated with changes in body fat among humans.

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