CD36 is required for myoblast fusion during myogenic differentiation.

Recently, CD36 has been found to be involved in the cytokine-induced fusion of macrophage. Myoblast fusion to form multinucleated myotubes is required for myogenesis and muscle regeneration. Because a search of gene expression database revealed the attenuation of CD36 expression in the muscles of muscular dystrophy patients, the possibility that CD36 could be required for myoblast fusion was investigated. CD36 expression was markedly up-regulated during myoblast differentiation and localized in multinucleated myotubes. Knockdown of endogenous CD36 significantly decreased the expression of myogenic markers as well as myotube formation. These results support the notion that CD36 plays an important role in cell fusion during myogenic differentiation. Our finding will aid the elucidation of the common mechanism governing cell-to-cell fusion in various fusion models.