Fig. 1. Strategies of skeletal muscle production from hiPSCs.

The process of in vitro muscle generation by the stepwise differentiation protocol (top) or transgenic induction (bottom). The stepwise strategy uses small molecules and growth factors to manipulate critical signaling pathways in myogenesis while the transgenic approach induces myogenic differentiation by overexpression of core transcription factors. Key marker genes at different differentiation stages and key pathways manipulated in the stepwise protocol are indicated.