The elusive role of myostatin signaling for muscle regeneration and maintenance of muscle and bone homeostasis

Skeletal muscle is one of the leading frameworks of the musculo-skeletal system, which works in synergy with the bones. Long skeletal muscles provide stability and mobility to the human body and are primarily composed of proteins. Conversely, improper functioning of various skeletal muscles leads to diseases and disorders, namely, age-related muscle disorder called sarcopenia, a group of genetic muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophies, and severe muscle wasting in cancer known as cachexia. However, skeletal muscle has an excellent ability to undergo hypertrophy and enhanced functioning during sustained exercise over time. Indeed, these processes of skeletal muscle regeneration/hypertrophy, as well as degeneration and atrophy, involve an interplay of various signaling pathways. Myostatin is one such chemokine/myokine with a significant contribution to muscle regeneration or atrophy in multiple conditions. In this review, we try to put together the role and regulation of myostatin as a function of muscle regeneration extrapolated to multiple aspects of its molecular functions.(c) 2023 The Korean Society of Osteoporosis. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

Skeletal muscle is an important component of the musculo-skeletal system, contributing to stability and mobility. However, improper functioning of skeletal muscles can lead to diseases such as sarcopenia, muscular dystrophies, and cachexia. On the other hand, skeletal muscles have the ability to undergo hypertrophy and enhanced functioning through exercise. This review focuses on the role and regulation of myostatin in muscle regeneration and molecular functions.