Myostatin (precursor) (GDF8 (pro-myostatin; MSTN proprotein))

Pro-myostatin (promyostatin) is the biosynthetic precursor of myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. The pro-myostatin protein consists of an N-terminal pro-domain and a C-terminal growth factor domain. It is synthesized as a disulfide-linked homodimer with each monomer containing both domains. The pro-domain maintains the molecule in a latent, inactive state. Activation of myostatin requires two sequential proteolytic cleavages (by furin-like proprotein convertases and BMP1/tolloid-like metalloproteinases), releasing the mature growth factor dimer, which can then bind to activin type II receptors and initiate signaling to suppress muscle cell proliferation and growth[2][6][7][8]. Mutations or inhibition of myostatin or its precursor processing can cause dramatic increases in muscle mass. Notes on correctness: - "Promyostatin" is not a canonical therapeutic target, but rather describes a protein precursor state. The active therapeutic target is mature myostatin[1][2][6]. - As such, "Promyostatin" is not a distinct molecular entity for drug targeting, assay, or classification; it is always processed to or in equilibrium with mature myostatin in vivo, and no approved drugs selectively target the precursor. - Therapeutic interest focuses on blocking either activation of promyostatin or the function of mature myostatin in disease contexts (e.g., muscular dystrophies, cachexia)[5][7]. - Canonical database entries (UniProt, Entrez) list "myostatin" or "GDF8" and may annotate precursor (pro-domain) or active forms in sequence features, but do not treat "promyostatin" as a separate target. Summary: "Promyostatin" is the latent precursor of the cytokine myostatin, not itself a direct therapeutic target, but central to the regulation of skeletal muscle growth via its controlled activation into mature myostatin[2][6][8].

Other names

pro-myostatinmyostatin precursorlatent myostatin

Not a drug target; therapeutic strategies focus on inhibiting precursor cleavage or neutralizing mature myostatin via antibodies or binding proteins.