Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 is an intracellular inducer of p38 MAPK-mediated myogenic signalling in cardiac myoblasts

► Activity of ASK1-p38 MAPK cascade is upregulated in cardiac muscle differentiation. ► TNFα is spontaneously released from differentiating myoblast. ► Exogenous TNFα enhances cardiac myogenic differentiation in physiological level. ► TNFα-induced H2O2 disrupts ASK1/Trx complex to process myogenic differentiation. ► ASK1 promotes p38 MAPK-mediated myogenic differentiation in H2O2-dependent.