SV40 large T antigen-induced inhibition of terminal differentiation of primary skeletal muscle cells is associated with a block in the expression of MyoD and myogenin.

Transformation of hamster primary myoblasts with the SV40 large T antigen leads to inhibition of terminal differentiation. This process is associated with a block in the transcription of the muscle-specific determinator genes MyoD and myogenin. The effect of SV40 large T antigen on the terminal differentiation is dominant and cannot be bypassed by re-expression of retrovirally encoded MyoD. The intermediate filament protein desmin is normally up-regulated when myoblasts differentiate into myotubes. Surprisingly, desmin is expressed at relatively high levels in transformed hamster muscle cells grown under proliferative conditions. So desmin expression can be independent of the onset of differentiation. This is in accordance with the expression of the protein in fibroblasts, infected with a MyoD-encoding retrovirus and grown under proliferative conditions, when no other muscle-specific proteins are present.