成肌细胞融合蛋白myomaker的结构基础与作用机理

Myomaker, a new discovered myoblast fusion activator, which is the only identified muscle-specific protein that directly regulates myoblast fusion and muscle regeneration in mammals. These activities of myomaker provide new opportunities for muscle regeneration and new strategies for therapy of muscle diseases. However, the molecular mechanism of myomaker is still in the dark. The aim of this project is to determinate the crystal structure of myomaker and provide new insights into the functional mechanism of myomaker.

Myomaker是新发现的一种可以直接调控成肌细胞融合和肌肉再生的蛋白，这是哺乳动物细胞中唯一一个被鉴定的肌肉特异性的调节蛋白。它促进成肌细胞融合以及肌肉再生的活性为受伤后的肌肉再生提供了新的机会，为肌肉性疾病的治疗提供了新的思路。然而，目前对其发挥功能的分子机理仍然一无所知。本项目拟从结构生物学的角度出发，解析其晶体结构，揭示其分子作用机理。