Myostatin/GDF8 [MD421]

Myostatin (also known as growth differentiation factor 8, or GDF-8) is a secreted protein that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Essentially, it acts as a molecular “brake” or biological governor, signaling muscle cells to stop growing or multiplying to prevent muscles from becoming too large. This group of proteins is characterized by a polybasic proteolytic processing site which is cleaved to produce a mature protein containing seven conserved cysteine residues. The members of this family are regulators of cell growth and differentiation in both embryonic and adult tissues.