Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28607086›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2017

Specific targeting of TGF-β family ligands demonstrates distinct roles in the regulation of muscle mass in health and disease.

Justin L Chen, Kelly L Walton, Adam Hagg, Timothy D Colgan, Katharine Johnson, Hongwei Qian, Paul Gregorevic, Craig A Harrison

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 84 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
84citing papers in PubMed
4.9field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

84 citing papers in PubMed, 104 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Cancer cachexia: molecular basis and therapeutic advances.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026
    Review
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  15. Role of Peptides in Skeletal Muscle Wasting: A Scoping Review.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025
    Article
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24 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Justin L ChenDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Kelly L WaltonDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Adam HaggDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Timothy D ColganLaboratory for Muscle Research and Therapeutic Development, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Katharine JohnsonDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Hongwei QianLaboratory for Muscle Research and Therapeutic Development, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Paul GregorevicLaboratory for Muscle Research and Therapeutic Development, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; craig.harrison@monash.edu paul.gregorevic@baker.edu.au.
Craig A HarrisonDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; craig.harrison@monash.edu paul.gregorevic@baker.edu.au.
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute · AUHudson Institute of Medical Research · AUMonash University · AUSwinburne University of Technology · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AUUniversity of Washington · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) network of ligands and intracellular signaling proteins is a subject of intense interest within the field of skeletal muscle biology. To define the relative contribution of endogenous TGF-β proteins to the negative regulation of muscle mass via their activation of the Smad2/3 signaling axis, we used local injection of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs) encoding ligand-specific antagonists into the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of C57BL/6 mice. Eight weeks after AAV injection, inhibition of activin A and activin B signaling produced moderate (∼20%), but significant, increases in TA mass, indicating that endogenous activins repress muscle growth. Inhibiting myostatin induced a more profound increase in muscle mass (∼45%), demonstrating a more prominent role for this ligand as a negative regulator of adult muscle mass. Remarkably, codelivery of activin and myostatin inhibitors induced a synergistic response, resulting in muscle mass increasing by as much as 150%. Transcription and protein analysis indicated that this substantial hypertrophy was associated with both the complete inhibition of the Smad2/3 pathway and activation of the parallel bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/Smad1/5 axis (recently identified as a positive regulator of muscle mass). Analyses indicated that hypertrophy was primarily driven by an increase in protein synthesis, but a reduction in ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation pathways was also observed. In models of muscular dystrophy and cancer cachexia, combined inhibition of activins and myostatin increased mass or prevented muscle wasting, respectively, highlighting the potential therapeutic advantages of specifically targeting multiple Smad2/3-activating ligands in skeletal muscle.

Indexed as

DependovirusGenetic VectorsMuscle ProteinsMuscular DiseasesSignal TransductionTransforming Growth Factor betaActivinsAnimalsGene TargetingMaleMiceMuscle, SkeletalOrgan SizeSmad Proteinsactivin Aactivin BActivinsMuscle ProteinsSmad ProteinsTransforming Growth Factor betaactivinBMPhypertrophymusclemyostatin

Identifiers

PMID28607086
PMCPMC5495232
OpenAlexW2627003412

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.