Absence of Dystrophin Does Not Affect Myogenesis

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the absence of the protein dystrophin in the muscle cells. The function of dystrophin is still not clear. For enabling study of the molecular function of dystrophin, we used small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) for suppressing the expression of the protein in two muscle cell lines and achieved a quantitative knockdown. We applied two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) in this new in vitro model for DMD to investigate if the absence of dystrophin during myogenesis causes any changes in protein expression. We did not observe statistical relevant changes. The result of our study suggests that the absence of dystrophin does not have any effect on myogenesis.