Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41575859›Full record

ArticleCell reports2026

Myomaker and ether lipids cooperate to promote fusion-competent membrane states.

Tanner J Wherley, Xueheng Zhao, Sajedah M Hindi, Laura J S Lopes, Evgenia Leikina, Fiona C Rowan, Kenneth D R Setchell, Alexander J Sodt, Leonid V Chernomordik, Douglas P Millay

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports, 2026. 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. 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

10 authors.

Tanner J WherleyDivision of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Xueheng ZhaoDivision of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Sajedah M HindiDivision of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Laura J S LopesUnit on Membrane Chemical Physics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Evgenia LeikinaSection on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Fiona C RowanDivision of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Kenneth D R SetchellDivision of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Alexander J SodtUnit on Membrane Chemical Physics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Leonid V ChernomordikSection on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Douglas P MillayDivision of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Electronic address: douglas.millay@cchmc.org.

Funding

Deciphering mechanisms of myoblast fusionR01AR068286 · NIAMS · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI MILLAY, DOUGLAS PAUL · 2015 to 2024
$4.2M
Role of skeletal muscle stem cell fusion and fibrosis during agingR01AG059605 · NIA · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI MILLAY, DOUGLAS PAUL · 2018 to 2022
$1.7M
Development and optimization of skeletal muscle delivery vehiclesR01AR083368 · NIAMS · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI Douglas Paul Millay · 2024 to 2026
$1.5M
NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR068286NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR083368NIA NIH HHS R01 AG059605
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cell fusion is a fundamental process for skeletal muscle development and regeneration. The muscle-specific fusogens Myomaker and Myomerger are necessary for fusion of muscle cells and together are sufficient for fusion. A mechanistic understanding of Myomaker activity is lacking. Here, we identify ether-linked phospholipids as modulators of Myomaker activity. Although Myomaker shows homology to ceramidases, we observe no ability for the protein to regulate ceramides. Treatment of myocytes with a ceramide synthase inhibitor increases fusion, and lipidomic analysis reveals an increase in cellular ether lipids. Using a lentiviral pseudotyping system to isolate Myomaker-containing membranes, we find an enrichment of ether lipids. Elevating ether lipids in Myomaker-expressing cells induces fusion, even without Myomerger, and correlates with cell surface exposure of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine, indicating a role for Myomaker in remodeling plasma membrane lipid distribution. These findings reveal a link between lipid asymmetry and the molecular machinery responsible for muscle cell fusion.

Indexed as

Cell MembraneLipidsMembrane FusionMembrane ProteinsAnimalsCell FusionCeramidesMiceCeramidesLipidsMembrane Proteinscell fusionceramidesCP: Cell biologyether lipidsmyoblast fusionMyomaker

Identifiers

PMID41575859
PMCPMC13644828

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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.