Direct differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into myogenic cells by Pax3 activation

In this directed differentiation protocol, Pax3-GFP is overexpressed in mesenchymal stem cells via viral transduction. After infection, cells are subjected to fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate the GFP-positive cells. Isolated cells are cultured in mesenchymal stem cell expansion medium without growth factors, to promote their differentiation into myogenic cells. The differentiated cells are multinucleated and express early-myogenic markers.