Serine–arginine-rich nuclear protein Luc7l regulates myogenesis in mice

Abstract

Using a gene trap technique, we identified a murine homologue of the yeast LUC7-like gene ( Luc7l), which is a serine–arginine-rich protein (SR protein) that localizes in the nucleus through its arginine–serine-rich domain (RS domain) at the C-terminus and shows a speckled distribution pattern. Although its transcripts are widely expressed in embryos and adults, they are rarely detected in adult skeletal muscle, and Luc7l expression was found to be negatively regulated during the course of development of limb skeletal muscle, as well as during in vitro differentiation of the myoblast cell lines Sol8 and C2C12. We also demonstrated that forced expression of Luc7l protein inhibited myogenesis in vitro. Based on our results, Luc7l is thought to play an important role in the regulation of muscle differentiation.