Myostatin and the control of skeletal muscle mass.
Lee SJ, McPherron AC.
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA. sjlee@jhmi.edu.
The mechanisms by which tissue size is controlled are poorly understood. Over 30 years ago, Bullough proposed the existence of chalones, which act as tissue-specific negative growth regulators. The recent discovery of myostatin suggests that negative regulation of tissue growth may be an important mechanism for controlling skeletal muscle mass and raises the possibility that growth inhibitors may also be involved in regulating the size of other tissues.
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PMID: 10508689 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]