Positive and negative regulation of D-type cyclin expression in skeletal myoblasts by basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor β: A role for cyclin D1 in control of myoblast differentiation

Differentiation of skeletal myoblasts in culture is negatively regulated by certain growth factors, including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). We investigated the effects of bFGF and TGFβ on D-type cyclin expression in skeletal myoblasts. When myoblasts were induced to differentiate in low mitogen medium, expression of cyclin D1 rapidly fell below detectable levels. In contrast, expression of cyclin D3 increased to levels exceeding those present in myoblasts. Expression of cyclin D1 was induced in myoblasts by bFGF and TGFβ (albeit with different kinetics for each factor), while induction of cyclin D3 expression was inhibited by these growth factors. Although these results are consistent with other reports showing induction of cyclin D1 by growth factors, induction of cyclin D3 expression during terminal differentiation of myoblasts and inhibition of this induction by growth factors is surprising. These results suggest that cyclin D3, previously thought to be only a positive regulator of cell cycle progression, may also function in the cellular context of terminal differentiated muscle. Stable expression of cyclin D1 from an ectopic viral promoter inhibits C2C12 myoblast differentiation, but only in those clones where the level of cyclin D1 expression does not significantly exceed that present in control myoblasts stimulated by bFGF. Together, these result suggest that cyclin D1 expression functions in the inhibition of myoblast differentiation by certain growth factors.