Skeletal muscle regeneration is not impaired in Fgf6 -/- mutant mice

FGFG is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family, The Fgf6 gene is a lmost exclusively expressed in adult and developing skeletal muscle. We hav e obtained mice deficient in FGFG by targeting the Fgf6 gene by homologous recombination. We studied regeneration of adult skeletal muscle in Fgf6 -/- mice derived on a standard inbred background. Muscle degeneration was indu ced by notexin drug or crush injury. The defect in FGFG did not modify the kinetics of muscle regeneration. We bred Fgf6 -/- mice with mdz: dystrophin deficient mice; Fgf6 -/-:mdx and mdx muscles were similar. Our study sugge sts that FGFG does not play a role in muscle regeneration, i.e., in satelli te cell proliferation and fusion, or that this role is strictly compensated by other factors, possibly other FGFs. (C) 2000 Academic Press.