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pubmed:abstractText |
The effects of supplementation with creatine (Cr) and its analog, ?-guanidinopropionic acid (?-GPA), on the differentiation of myoblasts and the numbers of nucleoli were studied in C2C12 cells. The cells were cultured in differentiation medium for 4 d. Then Cr (1 mM) or ?-GPA (1 mM) was added to the cells, and the mixture was cultured for an additional 2 d. Although the number of myotubes was not different among the groups, myotube diameters and nuclear numbers in myotubes were increased by Cr and ?-GPA treatment respectively. The expression of differentiation marker proteins, myogenin, and the myosine heavy chain, was increased in the ?-GPA group. Supplementation with ?-GPA also increased the percentage of p21 (inhibitor for cell cycle progression)-positive myoblasts. Supplementation with Cr inhibited the decrease in nucleoli numbers, whereas ?-GPA increased nucleolar sizes in the myotubes. These results suggest that ?-GPA supplementation stimulated the differentiation of myoblasts into multi-nucleated myotubes through induction of p21 expression.
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