Myocardin (MYOCD)

Myocardin is a potent, tissue-restricted transcriptional coactivator encoded by the MYOCD gene, primarily expressed in cardiac and smooth muscle cells[1][4]. It functions by binding to serum response factor (SRF) and activating the expression of genes essential for cardiac and smooth muscle differentiation, including those containing CArG box elements[1][3]. Myocardin is considered a master regulator of smooth muscle cell identity and contractile phenotype, able to induce smooth muscle gene expression even in non-muscle cells and repress the skeletal muscle differentiation program by inhibiting skeletal muscle regulators such as MyoD and myogenin[4][5]. Genetic variants in MYOCD can cause congenital disorders, such as megabladder, and are implicated in cardiovascular developmental abnormalities[2]. Myocardin's precise regulation is essential for vascular homeostasis, and its dysregulation has been implicated in a range of vascular and developmental diseases[3].

Other names

MYCDMGBLmyocardinMYOCD