Temporal and spatial expression of the myostatin gene during chicken embryo development.

Myostatin is a potent growth and differentiation factor involved in skeletal muscle tissue formation in vertebrates. In the present study, temporal and spatial expression patterns of myostatin transcripts were investigated in chicken embryos. Myostatin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR analysis in embryos collected immediately after oviposition (stage HH1) and persisted until the fifth day of incubation (stage HH26).