Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41382231›Full record

ArticleSkeletal muscle2025

N-acetylglucosamine facilitates coordinated flow-like movement of myoblasts, forming a foundation for efficient myogenesis.

Masahiko S Satoh, Ann Rancourt, Guillaume St-Pierre, Elizabeth Bouchard, Maude Fillion, Kana Hagiwara, Kazuki Nakajima, Sachiko Sato

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Skeletal muscle, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Improvement of Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in a Murine Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by N-Acetylglucosamine Alone and in Combination With Prednisolone.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025
    Article
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.

Masahiko S SatohLaboratory of DNA Damage Responses and Bioimaging and Axis of Oncology, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada. masahiko.sato@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca.
Ann RancourtLaboratory of DNA Damage Responses and Bioimaging and Axis of Oncology, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada.
Guillaume St-PierreGlycobiology and Bioimaging Laboratory of Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Axis of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, G1V 4G2, Canada.
Elizabeth BouchardGlycobiology and Bioimaging Laboratory of Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Axis of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, G1V 4G2, Canada.
Maude FillionGlycobiology and Bioimaging Laboratory of Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Axis of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, G1V 4G2, Canada.
Kana HagiwaraGlycoanalytical Chemistry Laboratory, Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
Kazuki NakajimaGlycoanalytical Chemistry Laboratory, Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
Sachiko SatoGlycobiology and Bioimaging Laboratory of Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Axis of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, Research Centre of CHU de Quebec, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, G1V 4G2, Canada. sachiko.sato@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca.

Funding

CIHR 201803
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSkeletal muscle comprises 30-40% of a mammal's body mass, maintaining its integrity through efficient muscle fiber regeneration, which involves myoblast differentiation into myotubes. Previously, we reported that N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) promotes myogenesis in C2C12 cells, although the underlying processes remained unclear. GlcNAc's activated form, UDP-GlcNAc, is critical for the biosynthesis of highly branched (N-acetyllactosamine-rich) N-linked oligosaccharides, which are recognized by galectin-3 (Gal-3), a protein that facilitates dynamic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and modulating the motility dynamics of membrane-associated proteins.

methodsIn this study, we used primary myoblasts from both wild-type and Gal-3 null (Gal-3KO) mice, observing myotube formation through long-term live-cell imaging and single-cell tracking to reveal the dynamic process that occurred during the myotube formation.

resultsWe found that GlcNAc enhances myoblast fusion in a dose-dependent manner, and that the addition of Gal-3 with GlcNAc leads to the formation of larger myotubes. Gal-3KO myoblasts exhibited a reduced capacity for myotube formation-a deficiency that was rectified by supplementing with GlcNAc and Gal-3. Our results highlight the role of Gal-3 interaction with oligosaccharides, whose synthesis is promoted by GlcNAc in facilitating myotube formation. Single-cell tracking revealed that GlcNAc and Gal-3 increase myoblast motility, leading to a faster, coordinated, flow-like movement-a collective behavior, along which myotubes form through cell fusion. Interestingly, myoblasts contributing to myotube formation were pre-positioned along the eventual shape of the myotubes before this flow-like movement was fully established. These myoblasts moved along the flow, paused, and even moved against it, suggesting that both coordinated flow and initial spatial positioning contribute to myoblast alignment along the axis of future myotubes.

conclusionOur findings suggest that GlcNAc, in conjunction with Gal-3, enhances myotube formation by fostering an environment conducive to myoblast positioning, establishing optimal coordinated flow-like movement, and facilitating fusion. This suggests potential therapeutic applications of GlcNAc in muscle repair and muscle disorders.

Indexed as

AcetylglucosamineCell MovementMuscle DevelopmentMyoblastsAnimalsCell DifferentiationCell FusionCells, CulturedGalectin 3MiceMice, KnockoutMuscle Fibers, SkeletalAcetylglucosamineGalectin 3Lgals3 protein, mouseCoordinated flow-like movement.Dynamic myotube formation processGal-3KO myoblastsGalectin-3 (Gal-3)MyogenesisN-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)Single-cell trackingWild-type myoblasts

Identifiers

PMID41382231
PMCPMC12817516

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.