myomaker

Myomaker is a muscle-specific transmembrane protein essential for the fusion of myoblasts during skeletal muscle development and regeneration. In humans, the protein is encoded by the TMEM8C gene. Myomaker is highly conserved among vertebrates and is typically expressed in differentiating muscle precursor cells rather than in mature non-muscle tissues.

Functionally, myomaker resides on the surface of differentiating myoblasts and is required for their fusion into multinucleated myotubes, a critical step in forming functional skeletal muscle fibers. Experimental disruption of myomaker in model organisms such as mice and zebrafish leads to a failure of myoblasts to fuse, resulting in impaired muscle fiber formation.

Myomaker operates in concert with myomixer (also known as minion), another muscle-specific fusogenic factor. The two proteins are part of a conserved machinery that drives the membrane fusion events necessary for myoblast coalescence, with myomaker providing a membrane platform and myomixer contributing to the fusion process across adjacent cells.

Discovery and significance have centered on its role in vertebrate myogenesis, with a body of work demonstrating its necessity for proper muscle formation and involvement in muscle repair. Research on myomaker not only enhances understanding of normal muscle development but also informs potential regenerative medicine approaches and cell-based therapies aimed at treating muscle-wasting conditions. Studies have examined myomaker function across species, illustrating its fundamental role in vertebrate muscle biology.