Down-regulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling during myogenesis

Cell differentiation is often associated with a block in the cell cycle. Growth factor signaling has been reported to be impaired in differentiated cells, due to the withdrawal of growth factors or to transcriptional down-regulation of their receptors. Our proposal is that the down regulation of growth factor signaling may be achieved through an alternative pathway: the decrease of growth factor receptor activation and the ensuing inhibition of intracellular pathways leading the cell to division. Here we report that platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFr) signaling is down-regulated during muscle differentiation, although its expression level remains unchanged. PDGFr signaling inhibition is achieved through a decrease in the receptor tyrosine phosphorylation level, in particular of Tyr716, Tyr751, Tyr857 and Tyr1021, leading to down-regulation of intracellular signaling pathways. Furthermore, during myogenesis, the espression level of several phosphotyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) increases and most of them shift toward the reduced/activated state. We propose a causal link between the down-regulation of PDGFr tyrosine phosphorylation and the increases in PTP specific activity during myogenesis.