Histochemistry of some trout respiratory muscles.

A histochemical study has been made of the main cranial muscles which produce ventilation movements of the rainbow trout. It is shown that a greater proportion of red(aerobic) fibres is present in those muscles known to be active during shallow ventilation than those which become active at greater ventilation volumes. An ordered recruitment of red, pink and white fibres within these muscles is also likely.     

Enzymatic activities of muscle fibres differentiated,in vitro,from pectoralis major (white) and adductor magnus (red) muscles of chick embryos

Summary Specific activities of NADP isocitrate dehydrogenase and acetylcholinesterase were significantly higher in muscle fibres differentiated, in vitro, from myoblasts of adductor magnus (red) than pectoralis major (white) muscles 10-day-old chick embryos. This is evidence, as far as enzyme activities, are concerned, that myoblasts from different types of skeletal muscles are able to give, in tissue culture, muscle fibres of different properties, even in the absence of nerve supply.Supported by a grant No. 75 7 1641 from the French Délégation à la Recherche scientifique et technique.     

Unterschiede der ATPase-Hemmung durch Azid in weissen und roten Muskelfasern der Ratte

Summary With a simple test — inhibition of the Mg-activated ATPase in a total homogenate of muscle by azide — it is possible to distinguish clearly between red and white muscle fibres. A number of muscles of the pelvic and thigh region of the rat are investigated by this method.     

Spirally arranged muscles associated with tracheoles in tsetse fly flight muscles; their possible involvement in sound production

Summary A set of muscle fibres have been found associated with certain tracheoles in the flight muscles of the tsetse fly. It is proposed that those muscles may be involved in sound production in the fly.I am grateful to the Ministry of Overseas Development for a grant in support of this work and to Professor L.H. Finlayson for his advice and criticism.     

Aktivität der Aldolase und der Succinatdehydrogenase (SDH) in der weissen und roten Skelettmuskulatur junger und alter Ratten

Summary The activity of aldolase and succinatdehydrogenase (SDH) in white and red skeletal muscle of young (3–7 months) and old (20–30 months) rats has been determined. In addition also the SDH of liver was measured. The activity of aldolase is higher in white than in red muscles, while SDH shows a higher activity in red than in white muscles. The activity of aldolase is not influenced by ageing in white muscles, but decreased in red muscles by 23%. In old animals the activity of SDH is 34% less in white and 52% less in red muscles. In liver the activity is 44% less. The significance of these changes for the energy metabolism of skeletal muscle is discussed.     

Protein bound calcium in piscine red and white muscles

Summary The levels of Ca⁺⁺ and calcium binding properties of sarcoplasmic proteins in red and white muscles of cat fish were compared. The white muscle is characterized by greater water content, ionic calcium and Ca-binding capacity, whereas the red muscle is characterized by a higher calcium sensitive protein content.The authors are grateful to Dr R. Narayana, Director of Instruction (BS & H), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore for facilities and encouragement.     

On the ultrastructure of nerve-muscle contacts in Onychophora

Summary The polyneutral innervated muscle fibres in the somatic longitudinal muscles ofPeripatoides leuckarti (Onychophora) have nerve-muscle-contacts with presynaptic vesicle accumulations, paramembranous presynaptic appositions, a 600-Å wide synaptic cleft and a specialized extracellular subcleft system. Synaptic sites resemble those of annelids.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant Schu. 374/1). The investigation was carried out in the Department of Neurobiology, R.S.B.S., The Australian National University, Canberra/Australia.     

Histochemical characterization of the red fibres in pigeon pectoralis muscle.

Red fibres of the pigeon pectoralis muscle showed high ATPase reaction at pH 9.4. Veronal-acetate pretreatment completely inhibited the ATPase reaction in these red fibres but not in type I fibres of the gastrocnemius. The former are type II red muscle fibres and hence are unlike type I red, the so-called slow-twitch muscle fibres.     

Histochemical characterization of the red fibres in pigeon pectoralis muscle

Summary Red fibres of the pigeon pectoralis muscle showed high ATPase reaction at pH 9.4. Veronal-acetate pretreatment completely inhibited the ATPase reaction in these red fibres but not in type I fibres of the gastrocnemius. The former are type II red muscle fibres and hence are unlike type I red, the so-called slow-twitch muscle fibres.     

Effect of cold exposure on electrophysiological properties of rat heart

Male rats exposed to the cold (4°C) for five or ten days exhibited modifications in their thyroid state, as documented by increases in serum thyroid hormone levels, to which differently graded modifications of heart weight/body weight ratio, heart rate, and resting metabolic rate were associated. The values of the above mentioned thyroid state indicators returned to those of the control when the animals, kept at cold for ten days, were re-exposed to room temperature (24°C) for an additional 10 days. The configuration of action potentials, recorded in vitro at 26°C from fibres of anterior papillary muscles, was different in control rats of different age and was affected by prolonged cold exposure. In fact, the action potential duration (APD) increased after ten days of cold exposure. In the re-exposed group the APD was not different from that of the controls. Such a pattern was not significantly modified when the stimulation frequency increased from 1 Hz to 5 Hz. The above results suggest that in cold exposure, as in experimental hyperthyroidism, thyroid hormone might exert a cardiac chronotropic effect by modifying heart electrophysiological properties. Thus thyroid hormone should play a basic role during the exposure to cold environment, stimulating the body metabolism and increasing heart rate as a response to the requirement for greater tissue perfusion.     

Ultrastructure of muscle spindles in C57BL/6Jdy 2J/dy 2J dystrophic mice

Summary The sensory organs of skeletal muscles, the muscle spindles, were examined using electron microscopy indy ^2J/dy ^2J dystrophic mice. Despite widespread damage to the extrafusal (skeletomotor) fibres the intrafusal (spindle) fibres appeared normal and seemed resistant to the aetiological factors for murine dystrophy.This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and the Science Research Council of Great Britain.     

On the heterogeneity of skeletal muscle fibers: The intermediate fibers

Résumé Les mesures d'intensité de la réaction à la succino-déshydrogénase et de la surface des fibres des muscles quadriceps et soléaire chez le rat nous ont permis d'individualiser un groupe de fibres intermédiaires qui se situe entre les fibres rouges (type I) et blanches (type II). Les fibres intermédiaires ont une activité enzymatique et une population mitochondriale distinctes, une taille moyenne et une teneur élevée en glycogène.     

Studies of a key protein in the mechanism of the excitation-contraction coupling process of frog skeletal muscle,using phenylglyoxal

The excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling process in single twitch fibres from frog toe muscle was inhibited selectively by phenylglyoxal (PGO), a specific guanidyl modifying reagent. A new protein (31.5 kDa), which has PGO-binding ability and seems to play a key role in the E-C coupling process, was solubilized from transverse tubule membrane-junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum complexes (TTM-JSR) of frog skeletal muscles, using¹⁴C-PGO. The monoclonal antibody against this protein applied extracellularly inhibited the E-C coupling process of the single fibres. This protein appears to constitute the very first step of input for E-C coupling. It is considered to behave as an indispensable part of an electrometer to measure membrane potentials. Therefore, the name electrometrin is suggested for the new protein.     

Ultrastructure of muscle spindles in C57BL/6J dy2J/dy2J dystrophic mice.

The sensory organs of skeletal muscles, the muscle spindles, were examined using electron microscopy in dy2J/dy2J dystrophic mice. Despite widespread damage to the extrafusal (skeletomotor) fibres the intrafusal (spindle) fibres appeared normal and seemed resistant to the aetiological factors for murine dystrophy.     

The cholinesterase activity of myoneural junctions from frog twitch and tonic muscles

Résumé La distribution de l'activité cholinestérasique dans des faisceaux de jonctions myoneurales séparés des fibres cloniques et toniques de muscles de grenouille a été étudiée par une méthode radiochimique. Les jonctions myoneurales de fibres cloniques ont montré une plus forte activité cholinestérasique que celles de fibres toniques. Il est suggéré que la différence d'activité enzymatique est liée à la différence fonctionnelle des deux types de fibres.     

Relationship between light diffraction intensity and tension development in frog skeletal muscle

Summary Laser diffraction intensity decrease in active muscles precedes tension development at sarcomere lenghts below 2.76 m, but not at greater lenghts. This suggests that the time lag is caused by random sarcomere shortenings inside each myofibril.     

New observations on the representation of the eye muscle proprioception within the descending trigeminal nucleus.

Units responding to stretch of single extraocular muscles were found in the bulbar and cervical portion of the descending trigeminal nucleus of the lamb. The electrolysis of these bulbar sites provoked degeneration of nervous fibres which could be followed till the first cervical segment of the spinal cord.     

Die Regelung der Strömungsrichtung des Blutes

Summary Within the animal kingdom, two kinds of circulatory systems can be distinguished: those in which the circulation of the blood is seemingly congeneric in both directions, and those in which it flows, if not constantly at least chiefly, in one direction. In the latter case, all those factors must influence it which regulate the direction of the flow. They may be divided into active and passive factors. The active factors are the intervention of muscle fibres, while the passive factors are the arrangement of the heart as regards fore- and after-portions as well as the formation of the valves. By the interference of active or combined mechanisms the blood may be periodically hindered from circulating, sometimes even stopped for a longer period, a process which is of the utmost importance for the distribution of the blood in the organism. The higher the species ranks in the animal kingdom, the more complicated are the ways in which this can take place.From these facts, a general law can be established: if a circulatory system is built symmetrically, the circulation of blood in it can go in both directions, as is the case with various worms and tunicata. In the case of asymmetry in the arrangement, the flow will be especially in one direction.     

A morphological study of delayed muscle soreness

Summary Biopsies, taken up to 1 week postexercise, from the soleus muscles of 5 healthy males (20–34 years old) suffering from pronounced exercise-induced delayed muscle soreness were analyzed morphologically. There was no evidence for ischemic tissue injury or mechanical fibre disruption. However, at the subcellular level frequent myofibrillar disturbances, especially with regard to the Z-bands, were noted. Thus, the contractile machinery of overloaded muscle fibres seemed to be partially distorted several days following exercise.     

Hypoxia increases potassium efflux from mammalian myocardium

Summary Hypoxia with or without simultaneous depletion of extracellular glucose increases⁴²K-efflux in cat and guinea-pig papillary muscles and bovine Purkinje fibres. The change observed in K efflux may be the result of an increase in K conductance at rest.Aspirant-navorser van het Nationaal Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek.