Patent ID: 7560441

Claim:
A method of treating a patient suffering from muscular dystrophy comprising: administering a therapeutically effective amount of a GDF-8 propeptide that is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 5 and contains a mutation at the aspartate corresponding to aspartate 76 of SEQ ID NO:5, wherein the GDF-8 propeptide inhibits one or more GDF-8 activities chosen from GDF-8 propeptide binding, negative regulation of skeletal muscle mass, modulation of preadipocyte differentiation, inhibition of muscle formation, inhibition of muscle cell growth, inhibition of muscle development, regulation of muscle-specific enzymes, inhibition of myoblast cell proliferation, modulation of preadipocyte differentiation to adipocytes, increasing sensitivity to insulin, regulation of glucose uptake, glucose hemostasis, and modulation of neuronal cell development and maintenance thereby treating a patient suffering from muscular dystrophy.