| First Author | Zhang Q | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 8 |
| Pages | 15664 | PubMed ID | 28569745 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:241565 | Mgi Id | MGI:5903127 |
| Doi | 10.1038/ncomms15664 | Citation | Zhang Q, et al. (2017) The microprotein Minion controls cell fusion and muscle formation. Nat Commun 8:15664 |
| abstractText | Although recent evidence has pointed to the existence of small open reading frame (smORF)-encoded microproteins in mammals, their function remains to be determined. Skeletal muscle development requires fusion of mononuclear progenitors to form multinucleated myotubes, a critical but poorly understood process. Here we report the identification of Minion (microprotein inducer of fusion), a smORF encoding an essential skeletal muscle specific microprotein. Myogenic progenitors lacking Minion differentiate normally but fail to form syncytial myotubes, and Minion-deficient mice die perinatally and demonstrate a marked reduction in fused muscle fibres. The fusogenic activity of Minion is conserved in the human orthologue, and co-expression of Minion and the transmembrane protein Myomaker is sufficient to induce cellular fusion accompanied by rapid cytoskeletal rearrangement, even in non-muscle cells. These findings establish Minion as a novel microprotein required for muscle development, and define a two-component programme for the induction of mammalian cell fusion. Moreover, these data also significantly expand the known functions of smORF-encoded microproteins. |
