Isolation of human skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain and actin for measurement of fractional synthesis rates

Using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), we have developed a simple method to isolate myosin heavy chain (MHC) and actin from small (60–80 mg) human skeletal muscle samples for the determination of their fractional synthesis rates. The amounts of MHC and actin isolated are adequate for the quantification of [13C]leucine abundance by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). Fractional synthesis rates of mixed muscle protein (MMP), MHC, and actin were determined in six healthy young subjects (27 ± 1 yr) after they received a 14-h intravenous infusion (prime = 7.58 μmol/kg body wt, constant infusion = 7.58 μmol ⋅ kg body wt−1 ⋅ h−1) of [1-13C]leucine. The fractional synthesis rates of MMP, MHC, and actin were found to be 0.0468 ± 0.0048, 0.0376 ± 0.0033, and 0.0754 ± 0.0078%/h, respectively. Overall, the synthesis rate of MHC was 20% lower ( P = 0.012), and the synthesis rate of actin was 61% higher ( P = 0.060, not significant) than the MMP synthesis rate. The isolation of these proteins for isotope abundance analysis by GC-C-IRMS provides important information about the synthesis rates of these specific contractile proteins, as opposed to the more general information provided by the determination of MMP synthesis rates.