The role of muscle in determining growth and size in teleost fish

Summary Rapid growth to large size in fish results from a sustained recruitment of new fibres into their axial series of myomeres. Cessation of recruitment at a small fish size leads to slow growth and a small final size of the fish. Fibre growth dynamics of fishes evidently govern growth and size through fibres' surface area to length ratios, which control their nutrient assimilation rates.     

Microinjection of synthetic protein kinase inhibitor into single barnacle muscle fibers before and after cyclic AMP

Summary Single muscle fibers from the barnacleBalanus nubilus have been used as a preparation to see if a synthetic 20-residue PKI (5-24)-peptide is able to block or reverse the stimulatory response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to injected cAMP. The results obtained show that this peptide behaves as a powerful inhibitor of the cAMP-mediated response and is also able to partially reverse the sustained stimulation of the Na efflux observed in ouabain-poisoned fibers following the injection of subunit A of cholera toxin.Warmest thanks to Prof. E. H. Fischer and Kurt Diltz for a sample of sPK1. This work received support from NSF, the Graduate School Research Committee and from NIH through a General Research Support Grant to the University of Wisconsin Medical School.     

The effects of temperature on ATPase activity and force generation in skinned muscle fibers from the Pacific blue marlin (Makaira nigricans)

Summary ATPase activity and force generation have been measured simultaneously in isolated, demembranated muscle fibers of the Pacific blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) between 0 and 30°C. Tension generation is relatively independent of temperature above 15°C and falls with a Q₁₀ of <1.5 on decreasing the temperature to 0°C. In contrast, the Q₁₀ for ATPase activity is 2.2 over the range 0–30°C. The results are interpreted in terms of the cross bridge theory of contraction.     

Fourier analysis of vertebral shape change due to growth and selection for large and small body size

Summary Fourier analysis of videodigitised outlines of mouse vertebrae from two stocks, a pseudo-longitudinal series of mice aged 25–60 days and one selected for large or small body size over many generations shows that the shape changes due to normal growth are not similar to those produced by selection for body size.     

Structural characteristics and distribution of satellite cells along crayfish muscle fibers

The distribution of satellite cells (sc) in long-sarcomere muscle fibers from the carpopod extensor muscle of the crayfish (Astacus fluviatilis) has been studied electron-microscopically. The sc are spindle-shaped and are oriented parallel to the long axis of a fiber. The mean lengths of sc nuclei (17.00 m) and that of myonuclei (18.35 m) differ non-significantly. In older animals, the mean ratio of the number of sc nuclei to the total number of nuclei (sc nuclei + myonrclei) is 0.0716, 0.0848, and 0.034 for the tendon, central and shell segments, respectively. The corresponding values for younger animals are 0.158, 0.166, and 0.081. The mean numbers of sc nuclei per mm of a fiber are 94, 117, and 47 (older animals), and 164, 117, and 94 (younger animals) for the tendon, central and shell segments, respectively. The high incidence of sc per unit fiber length in crayfish may be related to the fact that crayfish muscle fibers have a much larger diameter than vertebrate muscle cells.     

The generation of new ‘white’ muscle fibers by budding in the lateral musculature of elversAnguilla anguilla (L.) during normal development

Summary The elver is a developmental stage of the European eel Anguilla anguilla (L.). During its growth, relatively large numbers of new muscle fibers are formed in the lateral musculature. We investigated the origin of these fibers. They proved to originate from already existing fibers by budding.     

Expression of alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain in mammalian skeletal muscle

We have investigated the reactivity of different human, rat and cat muscles to a monoclonal antibody directed against human -cardiac myosin heavy chain. We have found that special fiber subpopulations of human massetr and extraocular muscles, as well as the bag fibers of human, rat and cat muscle spindles, were reactive to this antibody, indicating that these fibers expressed -cardiac myosin heavy chain or a closely related isoform. This isomyosin was present in the spindle bag fibers at early fetal stages, whereas its expression in masseter and extraocular muscle fibers was not detected during the first 22 weeks of gestation. Our results add to the list of muscle proteins which are expressed in locations or at developmental stages other than those initially described, suggesting that a revision of the present nomenclature of the subgroups of myosin heavy chains might be considered in the future.     

Muscle proteinase activities during compensatory growth and atrophy

Summary Specific activities of cathepsins B and D, but not H, increased in both the tenotomized gastrocnemius and functionally overloaded soleus muscles, thus correlating with previously reported increases in protein degradation. Subsequent denervation of the overloaded soleus caused an additive increase in proteolysis, suggesting a possible greater lability of proteins in this muscle.     

Demonstration of the structural connections of the longitudinal muscle cells and circular muscle cells,and interconnections between the two,in the alimentary canal of an oligochaete,Branchiura sowerbyi B.

Summary The longitudinal and circular muscle cells of the alimentary canal of the oligochaete wormBranchiura sowerbyi show intercell couplings. These couplings occur between adjoining cells of the same or of the other orientation.We wish to thank Dr S. Kawaguti, Prof. emeritus of Okayama University, for his kind advice.     

Sensitivity of crayfish muscle fibers to glutamate and to natural transmitter in low calcium solutions]

The response of crayfish muscle fibres to glutamate, a putative transmitter at its excitatory motor synapses, decreases when extracellular calcium is reduced, whereas the sensitivity to natural transmitter s not modified. Three possible mechanisms are proposed.     

Failure of opioids to affect excitation and contraction in isolated ventricular heart muscle

Summary The opioid agonists morphine (selective for -receptors) and ethylketocyclazocine (selective for kappa-receptors), at concentrations evoking strong effects in neuronal structures, did not significantly affect the configuration of the intracellularly recorded action potential and the force of contraction in ventricular heart muscle isolated from guinea pigs, rabbits and man. These results suggest that any changes of heart functions in vivo in response to opioid-like drugs are probably not mediated postsynaptically at the myocardial cell membrane but rather presynaptically, influencing the release of noradrenaline and/or acetylcholine from the nerve terminals.     

Colchicine-induced appearance (proliferation) of smooth sarcoplasmic reticulum in arterial smooth muscle cells

Summary Colchicine treatment resulted in the appearance and proliferation of smooth sarcoplasmic reticulum in some smooth muscle cells of the aortic and pulmonary trunk walls in the rabbit. The significance of cytoplasmic microtubules and/or membrane-bound tubulin for the morphogenesis, functioning and control of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in different kinds of cells is discussed.     

Energetics and regulation of crossbridge states in mammalian smooth muscle

Conclusion On the basis of measurements of the high energy phosphate usage associated with different mechanical states, as well as the degree of myosin light chain phosphorylation and mechanical properties, information has been gained concerning the existence and regulation of different crossbridge states in smooth muscle. Although incomplete, a general operational scheme is shown in figure 5. At very low intracellular calcium concentrations, actin and myosin are dissociated, as shown by a loss of resistance to stretch in resting muscles. At somewhat higher intracellular calcium concentrations in atonic, resting muscles, crossbridges can attach and be manifest mechanically as an increased resistance to stretch without ATP-driven crossbridge cycling and active force production. When the muscle is activated, intracellular calcium increases further, the light chains of myosin are phosphorylated through the calcium-calmodulin activation of myosin light chain kinase, actin-activated myosin ATPase activity increases and crossbridges cycle. Calcium also appears to modulate the ATPase activity and the rate of cycling of the phosphorylated crossbridge. The crossbridge cycling rate is highest during force development and slows with time as maximum isometric force is maintained reflecting a change in the rate at which phosphorylated crossbridges cycle. This may result from a decrease in the intracellular free calcium concentration with continued stimulation. During relaxation, the intracellular calcium concentration decreases, there is net dephosphorylation of the myosin light chains, the rate at which phosphorylated crossbridges cycle slows further with a gradual return to the attached, but non-cycling state or the detached state.     

Endocrine and environmental aspects of sex differentiation in fish

This paper reviews the current knowledge concerning the endocrine and environmental regulations of both gonadal sex differentiation in gonochoristic and sex inversion in hermaphroditic fish. Within the central nervous system, gonadotropins seem to play a role in triggering sex inversion in hermaphroditic fish. In gonochorists, although potentially active around this period, the hypothalamo-pituitary axis is probably not involved in triggering sex differentiation. Although steroids and steroidogenic enzymes are probably not the initial triggers of sex differentiation, new data, including molecular approaches, have confirmed that they are key physiological steps in the regulation of this process. Environmental factors can strongly influence sex differentiation and sex inversion in gonochoristic and hermaphroditic fish, respectively. The most important environmental determinant of sex would appear to be temperature in the former species, and social factors in the latter. Interactions between environmental factors and genotype have been suggested for both gonochoristic and hermaphroditic fish.     

Understanding the importance of selenium and selenoproteins in muscle function

Selenium is an essential trace element. In cattle, selenium deficiency causes dysfunction of various organs, including skeletal and cardiac muscles. In humans as well, lack of selenium is associated with many disorders, but despite accumulation of clinical reports, muscle diseases are not generally considered on the list. The goal of this review is to establish the connection between clinical observations and the most recent advances obtained in selenium biology. Recent results about a possible role of selenium-containing proteins in muscle formation and repair have been collected. Selenoprotein N is the first selenoprotein linked to genetic disorders consisting of different forms of congenital muscular dystrophies. Understanding the muscle disorders associated with selenium deficiency or selenoprotein N dysfunction is an essential step in defining the causes of the disease and obtaining a better comprehension of the mechanisms involved in muscle formation and maintenance. Received 13 July 2005; received after revision 9 September 2005; accepted 4 October 2005     

Intramuscular comparison of myosin isozymes and light chains in rat extensor digitorum longus muscle

Summary Complete muscle cross sections were obtained from the proximal and distal third regions of ten rat extensor digitorum longus muscles. Electrophoretic methods were then used to quantify the various myosin isozymes and light chains in each muscle specimen. The results demonstrated that the relative distribution of the various myosin isozyme and light chain variables do not vary significantly between the two sampling regions.