Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38172960›Full record

ArticleSkeletal muscle2024

The MuSK-BMP pathway maintains myofiber size in slow muscle through regulation of Akt-mTOR signaling.

Diego Jaime, Lauren A Fish, Laura A Madigan, Chengjie Xi, Giorgia Piccoli, Madison D Ewing, Bert Blaauw, Justin R Fallon

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Skeletal muscle, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Muscle-Derived BMP4 Regulates Morphology and Function of Endplates on Extrafusal and Intrafusal Muscle Fibers in Adult Mice.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Article
  4. The Neuromuscular Junction: A Shared Vulnerability in Aging and Disease.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025
    Review
  5. Molecular Framework of the Onset and Progression of Skeletal Muscle Aging.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  6. Review
  7. MuSK Regulates Neuromuscular Junction Nav1.4 Localization and Excitability.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Postsynaptic BMP signaling regulates myonuclear properties inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Diego Jaime *Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Lauren A Fish *Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
Laura A MadiganDepartment of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Chengjie XiDepartment of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
Giorgia PiccoliVeneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padua, Italy.
Madison D EwingDepartment of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
Bert BlaauwVeneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padua, Italy.
Justin R FallonDepartment of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA. justin_fallon@brown.edu.
Brown University · USUniversity of Padua · IT

Funding

UTERINE NK CELL HOMING FROM THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATIONP20RR018728 · NCRR · WOMEN AND INFANTS HOSPITAL-RHODE ISLAND · PI BLISS, JOSEPH MARK · 2003 to 2011
$16.7M
Interdisciplinary Predoctoral Neuroscience Training Program in the Neuroscience Graduate Program.T32MH020068 · NIMH · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI LIPSCOMBE, DIANE, SHEINBERG, DAVID L · 1999 to 2025
$7.6M
Advancing the Culture of PhD Learning & Scholarship in Biology & Health SciencesR25GM083270 · NIGMS · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI CAMPBELL, ANDREW G., HARRINGTON, ELIZABETH O · 2008 to 2021
$7.5M
Development of biglycan as a therapeutic for Duchenne Muscular DystrophyU01NS064295 · NINDS · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI FALLON, JUSTIN R. · 2009 to 2014
$5.3M
Center for Cancer Signaling NetworksP30GM103410 · NIGMS · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI ATWOOD, WALTER J · 2012 to 2015
$4.3M
Predoctoral Training in the Molecular Biology of AgingT32AG041688 · NIA · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI NICOLA NERETTI, John M Sedivy · 2012 to 2026
$3.5M
CENTER FOR CANCER SIGNALING NETWORKSP30RR031153 · NCRR · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI ATWOOD, WALTER J · 2011 to 2011
$1.1M
Promoting adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease using an antibody-based therapyR41AG073144 · NIA · BOLDEN THERAPEUTICS, INC. · PI FALLON, JUSTIN R. · 2021 to 2023
$897k
Promoting adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease ModelsR21AG073743 · NIA · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI FALLON, JUSTIN R., WEBB, ASHLEY E · 2021 to 2021
$451k
Next generation machine vision for automated behavioral phenotyping of knock-in ALS-FTD mouse modelsR21NS112743 · NINDS · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI FALLON, JUSTIN R., SERRE, THOMAS · 2020 to 2020
$447k
NCRR NIH HHS P20 RR018728NCRR NIH HHS P30 RR031153NIA NIH HHS R21 AG073743NIA NIH HHS R41 AG073144NIA NIH HHS T32 AG041688NIGMS NIH HHS P30 GM103410NIGMS NIH HHS R25 GM083270NIH HHS U01 NS064295, R41 AG073144, R21 NS112743, R21 AG073743, P30 GM103410, P30 RR031153, P20 RR018728, S10 RR02763, R25GM083270, 2T32AG041688, and T32 MH20068NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH020068NINDS NIH HHS R21 NS112743NINDS NIH HHS U01 NS064295
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Myofiber size regulation is critical in health, disease, and aging. MuSK (muscle-specific kinase) is a BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) co-receptor that promotes and shapes BMP signaling. MuSK is expressed at all neuromuscular junctions and is also present extrasynaptically in the mouse soleus, whose predominantly oxidative fiber composition is akin to that of human muscle. To investigate the role of the MuSK-BMP pathway in vivo, we generated mice lacking the BMP-binding MuSK Ig3 domain. These ∆Ig3-MuSK mice are viable and fertile with innervation levels comparable to wild type. In 3-month-old mice, myofibers are smaller in the slow soleus, but not in the fast tibialis anterior (TA). Transcriptomic analysis revealed soleus-selective decreases in RNA metabolism and protein synthesis pathways as well as dysregulation of IGF1-Akt-mTOR pathway components. Biochemical analysis showed that Akt-mTOR signaling is reduced in soleus but not TA. We propose that the MuSK-BMP pathway acts extrasynaptically to maintain myofiber size in slow muscle by promoting protein synthetic pathways including IGF1-Akt-mTOR signaling. These results reveal a novel mechanism for regulating myofiber size in slow muscle and introduce the MuSK-BMP pathway as a target for promoting muscle growth and combatting atrophy.

Indexed as

Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktSignal TransductionAnimalsBone Morphogenetic ProteinsHumansInfantMiceMuscle, SkeletalTOR Serine-Threonine KinasesBone Morphogenetic ProteinsProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktTOR Serine-Threonine KinasesAtrophyBMPCachexiaIGF1mTORMuscle fiber typesMuSKSlow muscle

Identifiers

PMID38172960
PMCPMC10763067
OpenAlexW4390572382

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.