Functions at the junction - membrane proteins and myoblast fusion.

The fusion of myoblasts is an essential step in the formation of multinucleated muscle fibres and the molecular underpinnings of this process are being actively investigated. In this issue, Kim et al. report that the membrane protein Xkr8 plays a role in myotube fusion, adding another class of membrane proteins to the list of potential contributors to myoblast differentiation and fusion.