Ryan G. Walker, Jason C. McCoy, Magdalena Czepnik, Melanie J. Mills, Adam Haggd, Kelly L. Walton, Thomas R. Cotton, Marko Hyvönen, Richard T. Lee, Paul Gregorevic, Craig A. Harrison, and Thomas B. Thompson
Pubmed:29348202
Abstract
Growth/differentiation factor 8 (GDF8), or myostatin, negatively regulates muscle mass. GDF8 is held in a latent state through interactions with its N-terminal prodomain, much like TGF-β. Using a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering and mutagenesis, we characterized the interactions of GDF8 with its prodomain. Our results show that the prodomain:GDF8 complex can exist in a fully latent state and an activated or “triggered” state where the prodomain remains in complex with the mature domain. Continue reading →