Knockdown of Lmo7 inhibits chick myogenesis.

The multifunctional protein Lmo7 has been implicated in some aspects of myogenesis in mammals. Here we studied the distribution and expression of Lmo7 and the effects of Lmo7 knockdown in primary cultures of chick skeletal muscle cells. Lmo7 was localized within the nuclei of myoblasts and at the perinuclear region of myotubes. Knockdown of Lmo7 using siRNA specific to chick reduces the number and width of myotubes and the number of MyoD positive-myoblasts. Both Wnt3a enriched medium and Bio, activators of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, could rescue the effects of the Lmo7 knockdown suggesting a crosstalk between the Wnt/beta-catenin and Lmo7-mediated signaling pathways. Our data shows a role of Lmo7 during the initial events of chick skeletal myogenesis, particularly in myoblast survival.