Extensive motor neuron survival in the absence of secondary skeletal muscle fiber formation

The alteration in skeletal muscle fiber is a critical factor affecting livestock meat quality traits and human metabolic diseases. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a diverse class of non-coding RNAs with a length of more than 200 nucleotides. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of lncRNAs in skeletal muscle fibers remain elusive. To understand the genetic basis of lncRNA-regulated skeletal muscle fiber development, we performed a transcriptome analysis to identify the key lncRNAs affecting skeletal muscle fiber and meat quality traits on a pig model. We generated the lncRNA expression profiles of fast-twitch Biceps femoris (Bf) and slow-twitch Soleus (Sol) muscles and identified the differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs using RNA-seq and performed bioinformatics analyses. This allowed us to identify 4581 lncRNA genes among six RNA libraries and 92 DE lncRNAs between Bf and Sol which are the key candidates for the conversion of skeletal muscle fiber types. Moreover, we detected the expression patterns of lncRNA MSTRG.42019 in different tissues and skeletal muscles of various development stages. In addition, we performed a correlation analyses between the expression of DE lncRNA MSTRG.42019 and meat quality traits. Notably, we found that DE lncRNA MSTRG.42019 was highly expressed in skeletal muscle and its expression was significantly higher in Sol than in Bf, with a positive correlation with the expression of Myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) (r = 0.6597, p = 0.0016) and a negative correlation with meat quality traits glycolytic potential (r = −0.5447, p = 0.0130), as well as drip loss (r = −0.5085, p = 0.0221). Moreover, we constructed the lncRNA MSTRG.42019–mRNAs regulatory network for a better understanding of a possible mechanism regulating skeletal muscle fiber formation. Our data provide the groundwork for studying the lncRNA regulatory mechanisms of skeletal muscle fiber conversion, and given the importance of skeletal muscle fiber types in muscle-related diseases, our data may provide insight into the treatment of muscular diseases in humans.

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How to sample the entire length of a single muscle fiber quick-frozen after electrical point stimulation for high resolution EM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100124288 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 776-777

Author(s):

Joachim R. Sommer ◽

Teresa High ◽

Betty Scherer ◽

Isaiah Taylor ◽

Rashid Nassar

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

High Resolution ◽

Action Potential ◽

Muscle Fiber ◽

Freeze Fracture ◽

Freeze Substitution ◽

Electrical Field Stimulation ◽

Skeletal Muscle Fiber ◽

Freeze Dried ◽

Quick Freezing

We have developed a model that allows the quick-freezing at known time intervals following electrical field stimulation of a single, intact frog skeletal muscle fiber isolated by sharp dissection. The preparation is used for studying high resolution morphology by freeze-substitution and freeze-fracture and for electron probe x-ray microanlysis of sudden calcium displacement from intracellular stores in freeze-dried cryosections, all in the same fiber. We now show the feasibility and instrumentation of new methodology for stimulating a single, intact skeletal muscle fiber at a point resulting in the propagation of an action potential, followed by quick-freezing with sub-millisecond temporal resolution after electrical stimulation, followed by multiple sampling of the frozen muscle fiber for freeze-substitution, freeze-fracture (not shown) and cryosectionmg. This model, at once serving as its own control and obviating consideration of variances between different fibers, frogs etc., is useful to investigate structural and topochemical alterations occurring in the wake of an action potential.

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