Sonic hedgehog promotes proliferation and differentiation of adult muscle cells: Involvement of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways.

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) has been reported to act as a mitogen and survival factor for muscle satellite cells. However, its role in their differentiation remains ambiguous. Here, we provide evidence that Shh promotes the proliferation and differentiation of primary cultures of chicken adult myoblasts (also termed satellite cells) and mouse myogenic C2 cells.