Gene Polymorphisms and Fiber-Type Composition of Human Skeletal Muscle

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ildus I. Ahmetov ◽  
Olga L. Vinogradova ◽  
Alun G. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Vastus Lateralis Muscle ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Fiber Type Composition ◽  
Type Composition ◽  
Type I Fibers

The ability to perform aerobic or anaerobic exercise varies widely among individuals, partially depending on their muscle-fiber composition. Variability in the proportion of skeletal-muscle fiber types may also explain marked differences in aspects of certain chronic disease states including obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension. In untrained individuals, the proportion of slow-twitch (Type I) fibers in the vastus lateralis muscle is typically around 50% (range 5–90%), and it is unusual for them to undergo conversion to fast-twitch fibers. It has been suggested that the genetic component for the observed variability in the proportion of Type I fibers in human muscles is on the order of 40–50%, indicating that muscle fiber-type composition is determined by both genotype and environment. This article briefly reviews current progress in the understanding of genetic determinism of fiber-type proportion in human skeletal muscle. Several polymorphisms of genes involved in the calcineurin–NFAT pathway, mitochondrial biogenesis, glucose and lipid metabolism, cytoskeletal function, hypoxia and angiogenesis, and circulatory homeostasis have been associated with fiber-type composition. As muscle is a major contributor to metabolism and physical strength and can readily adapt, it is not surprising that many of these gene variants have been associated with physical performance and athlete status, as well as metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Genetic variants associated with fiber-type proportions have important implications for our understanding of muscle function in both health and disease.

Strength, power, fiber types, and mRNA expression in trained men and women with different ACTN3 R577X genotypes

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 959-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Norman ◽  
Mona Esbjörnsson ◽  
Håkan Rundqvist ◽  
Ted Österlund ◽  
Ferdinand von Walden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Muscle Fiber Types ◽  
Vastus Lateralis Muscle ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Fiber Type Composition ◽  
Type Composition

α-Actinins are structural proteins of the Z-line. Human skeletal muscle expresses two α-actinin isoforms, α-actinin-2 and α-actinin-3, encoded by their respective genes ACTN2 and ACTN3. ACTN2 is expressed in all muscle fiber types, while only type II fibers, and particularly the type IIb fibers, express ACTN3. ACTN3 (R577X) polymorphism results in loss of α-actinin-3 and has been suggested to influence skeletal muscle function. The X allele is less common in elite sprint and power athletes than in the general population and has been suggested to be detrimental for performance requiring high power. The present study investigated the association of ACTN3 genotype with muscle power during 30-s Wingate cycling in 120 moderately to well-trained men and women and with knee extensor strength and fatigability in a subset of 21 men performing isokinetic exercise. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle to determine fiber-type composition and ACTN2 and ACTN3 mRNA levels. Peak and mean power and the torque-velocity relationship and fatigability output showed no difference across ACTN3 genotypes. Thus this study suggests that R577X polymorphism in ACTN3 is not associated with differences in power output, fatigability, or force-velocity characteristics in moderately trained individuals. However, repeated exercise bouts prompted an increase in peak torque in RR but not in XX genotypes, suggesting that ACTN3 genotype may modulate responsiveness to training. Our data further suggest that α-actinins do not play a significant role in determining muscle fiber-type composition. Finally, we show that ACTN2 expression is affected by the content of α-actinin-3, which implies that α-actinin-2 may compensate for the lack of α-actinin-3 and hence counteract the phenotypic consequences of the deficiency.

Muscle fiber type-specific response of Hsp70 expression in human quadriceps following acute isometric exercise

2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 2105-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Tupling ◽  
E. Bombardier ◽  
R. D. Stewart ◽  
C. Vigna ◽  
A. E. Aqui
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Hsp70 Expression ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Exercise Induced ◽  
Type I Fibers

To investigate the time course of fiber type-specific heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) expression in human skeletal muscle after acute exercise, 10 untrained male volunteers performed single-legged isometric knee extensor exercise at 60% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with a 50% duty cycle (5-s contraction and 5-s relaxation) for 30 min. Muscle biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis before (Pre) exercise in the rested control leg (C) and immediately after exercise (Post) in the exercised leg (E) only and on recovery days 1 (R1), 2 (R2), 3 (R3), and 6 (R6) from both legs. As demonstrated by Western blot analysis, whole muscle Hsp70 content was unchanged ( P > 0.05) immediately after exercise (Pre vs. Post), was increased ( P < 0.05) by ∼43% at R1, and remained elevated throughout the entire recovery period in E only. Hsp70 expression was also assessed in individual muscle fiber types I, IIA, and IIAX/IIX by immunohistochemistry. There were no fiber type differences ( P > 0.05) in basal Hsp70 expression. Immediately after exercise, Hsp70 expression was increased ( P < 0.05) in type I fibers by ∼87% but was unchanged ( P > 0.05) in type II fibers (Pre vs. Post). At R1 and throughout recovery, Hsp70 content in E was increased above basal levels ( P < 0.05) in all fiber types, but Hsp70 expression was always highest ( P < 0.05) in type I fibers. Hsp70 content in C was not different from Pre at any time throughout recovery. Glycogen depletion was observed at Post in all type II, but not type I, fibers, suggesting that the fiber type differences in exercise-induced Hsp70 expression were not related to glycogen availability. These results demonstrate that the time course of exercise-induced Hsp70 expression in human skeletal muscle is fiber type specific.

Human variation in skeletal muscle fiber-type proportion and enzyme activities

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (4) ◽  
pp. E567-E572 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Simoneau ◽  
C. Bouchard
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Glycolytic Enzyme ◽  
Oxidative Enzyme ◽  
Vastus Lateralis Muscle ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Enzyme Markers

The purpose of the present study was to describe the extent of the variation in some of the common characteristics of human skeletal muscle. A total of 418 biopsies was obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle of 270 healthy sedentary and 148 physically active individuals of both sexes. The lowest and highest proportion of type I muscle fiber observed were 15 and 85%, respectively. Coefficients of variation (CV) reached approximately 30% for the proportion of types I and IIA fibers and were two times higher for the proportion of type IIB fiber. The smallest and largest mean muscle fiber cross-sectional areas (CSA) were approximately 1,100 microns 2 and 9,500 microns 2, respectively. Mean CSA of the various fiber types exhibited CV of approximately 23%. CV reached 30% for the activity of creatine kinase, ranged between 28 and 41% for the glycolytic enzyme markers, and between 34 and 44% for the aerobic-oxidative enzyme markers. The mean proportion of type I fiber was lower in male than in female muscles, whereas the mean CSA of all fiber types was smaller in female than in male muscles. Levels of glycolytic enzyme markers were higher in male than in female skeletal muscles. However, activities of aerobic-oxidative enzyme markers were similar in males and females. These results reveal the existence of large interindividual variability and gender differences in the most common characteristics of the human skeletal muscle.

Single-fiber expression and fiber-specific adaptability to short-term intense exercise training of Na+-K+-ATPase α- and β-isoforms in human skeletal muscle

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 699-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. L. Wyckelsma ◽  
M. J. McKenna ◽  
F. R. Serpiello ◽  
C. R. Lamboley ◽  
R. J. Aughey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Western Blotting ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Vastus Lateralis ◽  
Single Fiber ◽  
Vastus Lateralis Muscle ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Functional Roles

The Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA) plays a key role in muscle excitability, but little is known in human skeletal muscle about fiber-type-specific differences in NKA isoform expression or adaptability. A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was taken in 17 healthy young adults to contrast NKA isoform protein relative abundance between type I and IIa fibers. We further investigated muscle fiber-type-specific NKA adaptability in eight of these adults following 4-wk repeated-sprint exercise (RSE) training, comprising three sets of 5 × 4-s sprints, 3 days/wk. Single fibers were separated, and myosin heavy chain (I and IIa) and NKA (α1–3 and β1–3) isoform abundance were determined via Western blotting. All six NKA isoforms were expressed in both type I and IIa fibers. No differences between fiber types were found for α1-, α2-, α3-, β1-, or β3-isoform abundances. The NKA β2-isoform was 27% more abundant in type IIa than type I fibers ( P < 0.05), with no other fiber-type-specific trends evident. RSE training increased β1 in type IIa fibers (pretraining 0.70 ± 0.25, posttraining 0.84 ± 0.24 arbitrary units, 42%, P < 0.05). No training effects were found for other NKA isoforms. Thus human skeletal muscle expresses all six NKA isoforms and not in a fiber-type-specific manner; this points to their different functional roles in skeletal muscle cells. Detection of elevated NKA β1 after RSE training demonstrates the sensitivity of the single-fiber Western blotting technique for fiber-type-specific intervention effects.

Human Skeletal Muscle Fiber Types: Delineation, Development, and Distribution

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Staron
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Fiber ◽  
Muscle Fiber Types ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Key Words Aging ◽  
Fiber Number ◽  
Human Limb

This brief review attempts to summarize a number of studies on the delineation, development, and distribution of human skeletal muscle fiber types. A total of seven fiber types can be identified in human limb and trunk musculature based on the pH stability/ability of myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase (mATPase). For most human muscles, mATPase-based fiber types correlate with the myosin heavy chain (MHC) content. Thus, each histochemically identified fiber has a specific MHC profile. Although this categorization is useful, it must be realized that muscle fibers are highly adaptable and that innumerable fiber type transients exist. Also, some muscles contain specific MHC isoforms and/or combinations that do not permit routine mATPase-based fiber typing. Although the major populations of fast and slow are, for the most part, established shortly after birth, subtle alterations take place throughout life. These changes appear to relate to alterations in activity and/or hormonal levels, and perhaps later in life, total fiber number. Because large variations in fiber type distribution can be found within a muscle and between individuals, interpretation of data gathered from human muscle is often difficult. Key words: aging, myosin heavy chains, myogenesis, myofibrillar adenosine triphosphate

Carnitine metabolism in human muscle fiber types during submaximal dynamic exercise

1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 1061-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Constantin-Teodosiu ◽  
S. Howell ◽  
P. L. Greenhaff
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Vastus Lateralis ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Free Carnitine ◽  
Muscle Fiber Types ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Carnitine Metabolism ◽  
Type I Fibers

The effect of prolonged exhaustive exercise on free carnitine and acetylcarnitine concentrations in mixed-fiber skeletal muscle and in type I and II muscle fibers was investigated in humans. Needle biopsy samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis of six subjects immediately after exhaustive one-legged cycling at approximately 75% of maximal O2 uptake from both the exercised and nonexercised (control) legs. In the resting (control) leg, there was no difference in the free carnitine concentration between type I and II fibers (20.36 +/- 1.25 and 20.51 +/- 1.16 mmol/kg dry muscle, respectively) despite the greater potential for fat oxidation in type I fibers. However, the acetylcarnitine concentration was slightly greater in type I fibers (P < 0.01). During exercise, acetylcarnitine accumulation occurred in both muscle fiber types, but accumulation was greatest in type I fibers (P < 0.005). Correspondingly, the concentration of free carnitine was significantly lower in type I fibers at the end of exercise (P < 0.001). The sum of free carnitine and acetylcarnitine concentrations in type I and II fibers at rest was similar and was unchanged by exercise. In conclusion, the findings of the present study support the suggestion that carnitine buffers excess acetyl group formation during exercise and that this occurs in both type I and II fibers. However, the greater accumulation of acetylcarnitine in type I fibers during prolonged exercise probably reflects the greater mitochondrial content of this fiber type.

Intermittent cold exposure causes a muscle-specific shift in the fiber type composition in rats

1993 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 264-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Walters ◽  
S. H. Constable
Keyword(s):  
Soleus Muscle ◽  
Cold Exposure ◽  
Citrate Synthase ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Type Composition ◽  
Type Composition ◽  
Edl Muscle ◽  
Type I Fibers

We examined the effect of long-term intermittent cold exposure on the fiber type composition of the predominantly type I soleus and the predominantly type IIb extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of rats. Cold exposure was accomplished by submerging the rats in shoulder-deep water, maintained at 20 +/- 0.5 degrees C, for 1 h/day, 5 days/wk, for < or = 19 wk. The efficacy of the treatment was tested by subjecting both groups to 20 degrees C water for 45 min while rectal temperature (Tre) and O2 consumption (VO2) were measured. The cold-exposed group displayed a 22% smaller reduction in Tre (P < 0.05) at the end of the exposure and 23% greater VO2 (P < 0.05) during the same period. Fiber type composition was determined using routine histochemical methods for myosin-adenosinetriphosphatase. In the soleus muscle of the cold-exposed rats, the number of type IIa fibers increased 156% (P < 0.05) and the number of type I fibers decreased 24% (P < 0.05). Cold exposure had no significant influence on the fiber type composition of the EDL muscle. Cold exposure resulted in an increase in citrate synthase activity of 20 and 22% in the soleus and EDL muscles, respectively (P < 0.05). The present study demonstrates that intermittent cold exposure induces a type I-to-type IIa transformation in the soleus muscle while having no influence on the EDL muscle.

Histochemical and Morphometric Evaluation of Skeletal Muscle of Cachectic Sheep

1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Hulland
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Succinic Dehydrogenase ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Biological Behavior ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Atrophy And Hypertrophy ◽  
Type I Fibers

Skeletal muscle of sheep was examined histochemically in an attempt to define muscle fiber populations capable of distinctive biological behavior. ATPase at alkaline and acid pH, NADH-TR, and succinic dehydrogenase showed at least 12 fiber types, but only three often enough to be considered biologically important muscle fiber populations. The proportions of the three major types altered during early life, but not perceptibly during adult life. Proportions of Type I and Type II fibers were different, sometimes significantly, from breed to breed. Histochemical techniques and morphometric analyses of fiber cross-sectional area were used to study muscle fiber changes in moderate to marked cachectic atrophy. Progressive reduction of gross muscle volume was attended by complex interrelationships between the two major muscle fiber types, including alternate episodes of atrophy and hypertrophy, resulting in marked inequality of mean fiber size between the fiber types. The patterns appeared to be different but characteristic for each muscle. The usual pattern of cachectic atrophy shows atrophy resistance of Type I fibers, but here a Type II-dominant atrophy also was seen. It is concluded that the large muscle fibers often seen in advanced cachectic atrophy are those Type I fibers that are more labile in both atrophy and hypertrophy than most.

Enhanced technique to measure proteins in single segments of human skeletal muscle fibers: fiber-type dependence of AMPK-α1 and -β1

2011 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 820-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn M. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Human Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fiber Type ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Vastus Lateralis Muscle ◽  
Fiber Types ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
Slow Twitch ◽  
Fast Twitch ◽  
Muscle Biopsies

Human physiological studies typically use skeletal muscle biopsies from the heterogeneous vastus lateralis muscle comprised of both fast-twitch and slow-twitch fiber types. It is likely that potential changes of physiological importance are overlooked because fiber-type specific responses may not be apparent in the whole muscle preparation. A technological advance in Western blotting is presented where proteins are analyzed in just one small segment (<2 mm) of individual fibers dissected from freeze-dried muscle samples using standard laboratory equipment. A significant advance is being able to classify every fiber at the level of both contractile (myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin) and sarcoplasmic reticulum [sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase type 1] properties and then being able to measure specific proteins in the very same segments. This removes the need to fiber type segments before further analyses and, as such, dramatically reduces the time required for sample collection. Compared with slow-twitch fibers, there was less AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α1 (∼25%) and AMPK-β1 (∼60%) in fast-twitch fibers from human skeletal muscle biopsies.

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