Abstract
In C2 myoblasts, retinoic acid (RA) is an efficient inducer of both growth arrest and differentiation. These RA effects are mediated through at least two classes of retinoic acid receptors (RARs and RXRs), which belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily. To determine the role played by each RAR or RXR family in this model system, we have analysed the effects of RA in C2 myoblasts expressing a dominant negative RAR (dnRAR) or a dominant negative RXR (dnRXR). The stable expression of dnRAR or dnRXR in C2 cells delays the RA-induced growth arrest and differentiation, an effect which is more pronounced in C2-dnRXR myoblasts. Furthermore, the RA-inducible expression of MyoD gene is lost in C2-dnRXR but not in C2-dnRAR cells, indicating that each family of retinoid receptors RAR and RXR may regulate distinct subsets of RA-responsive genes. Finally, using C2 cell lines with different retinoid responsiveness, we provided evidence for a link between the RXR and MyoD families in the process of myogenic differentiation. These results illustrate a critical role for RA-receptors in RA-control of C2 myogenesis and provide tools for studying the function of RA and its receptors during vertebrate development.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 50 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $5.18 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alric, S., Froeschlé, A., Piquemal, D. et al. Functional specificity of the two retinoic acid receptor RAR and RXR families in myogenesis. Oncogene 16, 273–282 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1201484
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1201484
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Gene expression profiling discerns molecular pathways elicited by ligand signaling to enhance the specification of embryonic stem cells into skeletal muscle lineage
Cell & Bioscience (2017)
-
Inhibition of autocrine secretion of myostatin enhances terminal differentiation in human rhabdomyosarcoma cells
Oncogene (2003)