Muscle composition and its relation to sprint running in the lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis

1988 ◽  
Vol 255 (3) ◽  
pp. R470-R477 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Gleeson ◽  
J. M. Harrison

Iguanid lizards exhibit considerable intraspecific variation in several aspects of their muscle composition. To determine the relationship of this variation to the variation in locomotor performance, running speeds of 20 male desert iguanas (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) of similar mass were measured from video recordings of animals as they sprinted down a 4.9-m runway maintained at 40 degrees C, the preferred body temperature of Dipsosaurus. Mean sprint speed ranged from 2.2 to 4.2 m/s. Selected muscles from these animals were then analyzed histochemically for fiber type size and composition, and the activities of citrate synthase, pyruvate kinase, and creatine kinase were measured. Muscle fiber cross-sectional areas were highly correlated within individuals, in three leg muscles and across all three fiber types, so that individuals could be characterized as possessing large or small fibers relative to the sample mean. Activities of all three enzymes also covaried within individuals so that individual lizards could be characterized as possessing high or low leg muscle catabolic capacity. There existed a significant and inverse relationship between fiber cross-sectional areas and muscle enzyme activities so that individuals with small muscle fibers tended to have higher catabolic capacities. Approximately 25-30% of the variation in mean sprint running speed could be predicted by variation in muscle fiber areas alone. The use of muscle fiber areas and snout vent length as independent variables in a multiple-regression equation explained approximately 50% of the sprint-running variation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1983 ◽  
Vol 245 (2) ◽  
pp. H368-H374 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. H. Sarelius ◽  
L. C. Maxwell ◽  
S. D. Gray ◽  
B. R. Duling

We determined muscle fiber type and capillarity in cremaster muscle samples from rats and hamsters of different ages. Histochemical estimation of oxidative capacity was made from the activity of either nicotinamide dinucleotide tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR) or succinic dehydrogenase (SDH), and fibers were termed fast or slow from myofibrillar ATPase activity. Fibers were classified as type I (low ATPase, high NADH-TR/SDH), type IIa (high ATPase, high SDH/NADH-TR), type IIb (high ATPase, low SDH/NADH-TR), or type IIc (no acid reversal of ATPase, high NADH-TR). Type IIb fibers accounted for 60-80% of the muscle area in both species at all ages. The principal change with maturation was muscle fiber hypertrophy. Mean cross-sectional fiber area increased from 488 +/- 70 (SE) and 453 +/- 19 micron2 in young hamsters and rats, respectively, to 1,255 +/- 99 and 1,540 +/- 101 micron2 in adults. Capillary density (no. of capillaries/mm2 tissue) paralleled fiber hypertrophy; it decreased significantly with maturation from 684 +/- 60 (SE) to 228 +/- 26/mm2 in hamsters and from 341 +/- 15 to 213 +/- 15/mm2 in rats. In vitro estimates of capillary density are compared with previously obtained in vivo data (31), and sources of error are identified. We conclude that reported differences in microvascular function in the cremaster muscle in vivo during maturation or between species cannot be ascribed to changes in muscle composition.


2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 2462-2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. C. Harrison ◽  
D. L. Allen ◽  
B. Girten ◽  
L. S. Stodieck ◽  
P. J. Kostenuik ◽  
...  

To investigate the effects of microgravity on murine skeletal muscle fiber size, muscle contractile protein, and enzymatic activity, female C57BL/6J mice, aged 64 days, were divided into animal enclosure module (AEM) ground control and spaceflight (SF) treatment groups. SF animals were flown on the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-108/UF-1) and subjected to ∼11 days and 19 h of microgravity. Immunohistochemical analysis of muscle fiber cross-sectional area revealed that, in each of the muscles analyzed, mean muscle fiber cross-sectional area was significantly reduced ( P < 0.0001) for all fiber types for SF vs. AEM control. In the soleus, immunohistochemical analysis of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression revealed a significant increase in the percentage of muscle fibers expressing MHC IIx and MHC IIb ( P < 0.05). For the gastrocnemius and plantaris, no significant changes in MHC isoform expression were observed. For the muscles analyzed, no alterations in MHC I or MHC IIa protein expression were observed. Enzymatic analysis of the gastrocnemius revealed a significant decrease in citrate synthase activity in SF vs. AEM control.


1988 ◽  
Vol 254 (6) ◽  
pp. E726-E732 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Zeman ◽  
R. Ludemann ◽  
T. G. Easton ◽  
J. D. Etlinger

Chronic treatment of rats with clenbuterol, a beta 2-receptor agonist (8–12 wk), caused hypertrophy of histochemically identified fast- but not slow-twitch fibers within the soleus, while the mean areas of both fiber types were increased in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL). In contrast, treatment with the beta 2-receptor antagonist, butoxamine, reduced fast-twitch fiber size in both muscles. In the solei and to a lesser extent in the EDLs, the ratio of the number of fast- to slow-twitch fibers was increased by clenbuterol, while the opposite was observed with butoxamine. The muscle fiber hypertrophy observed in the EDL was accompanied by parallel increases in maximal tetanic tension and muscle cross-sectional area, while in the solei, progressive increases in rates of force development and relaxation toward values typical of fast-twitch muscles were also observed. Our results suggest a role of beta 2-receptors in regulating muscle fiber type composition as well as growth.


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 558-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Gardiner ◽  
B. J. Jasmin ◽  
P. Corriveau

Our aim was to quantify the overload-induced hypertrophy and conversion of fiber types (type II to I) occurring in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle (MG). Overload of MG was induced by a bilateral tenotomy/retraction of synergists, followed by 12–18 wk of regular treadmill locomotion (2 h of walking/running per day on 3 of 4 days). We counted all type I fibers and determined type I and II mean fiber areas in eight equidistant sections taken along the length of control and overloaded MG. Increase in muscle weights (31%), as well as in total muscle cross-sectional areas (37%) and fiber areas (type I, 57%; type II, 34%), attested to a significant hypertrophic response in overloaded MG. An increase in type I fiber composition of MG from 7.0 to 11.5% occurred as a result of overload, with the greatest and only statistically significant changes (approximately 70–100%) being found in sections taken from the most rostral 45% of the muscle length. Results of analysis of sections taken from the largest muscle girth showed that it significantly underestimated the extent of fiber conversion that occurred throughout the muscle as a whole. These data obtained on the MG, which possesses a compartmentalization of fiber types, support the notion that all fiber types respond to this model with a similar degree of hypertrophy. Also, they emphasize the complex nature of the adaptive changes that occur in these types of muscles as a result of overload.


1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (2) ◽  
pp. R591-R596 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Green ◽  
C. Goreham ◽  
J. Ouyang ◽  
M. Ball-Burnett ◽  
D. Ranney

To examine the hypothesis that increases in fiber cross-sectional area mediated by high-resistance training (HRT) would result in a decrease in fiber capillarization and oxidative potential, regardless of fiber type, we studied six untrained males (maximum oxygen consumption, 45.6 ± 2.3 ml ⋅ kg−1 ⋅ min−1; mean ± SE) participating in a 12-wk program designed to produce a progressive hypertrophy of the quadriceps muscle. The training sessions, which were conducted 3 times/wk, consisted of three sets of three exercises, each performed for 6–8 repetitions maximum (RM). Measurements of fiber-type distribution obtained from tissue extracted from the vastus lateralis at 0, 4, 7, and 12 wk indicated reductions ( P < 0.05) in type IIB fibers (15.1 ± 2.1% vs. 7.2 ± 1.3%) by 4 wk in the absence of changes in the other fiber types (types I, IIA, and IIAB). Training culminated in a 17% increase ( P < 0.05) in cross-sectional area by 12 wk with initial increases observed at 4 wk. The increase was independent of fiber type-specific changes. The number of capillaries in contact with each fiber type increased by 12 wk, whereas capillary contacts-to-fiber area ratios remained unchanged. In a defined cross-sectional field, HRT also increased the capillaries per fiber at 12 wk. Training failed to alter cellular oxidative potential, as measured by succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, regardless of fiber type and training duration. It is concluded that modest hypertrophy induced by HRT does not compromise cellular tissue capillarization and oxidative potential regardless of fiber type.


1983 ◽  
Vol 245 (2) ◽  
pp. H265-H275 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Mackie ◽  
R. L. Terjung

Blood flow to fast-twitch red (FTR), fast-twitch white (FTW), and slow-twitch red (STR) muscle fiber sections of the gastrocnemius-plantaris-soleus muscle group was determined using 15 +/- 3-microns microspheres during in situ stimulation in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. Steady-state blood flows were assessed during the 10th min of contraction using twitch (0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 Hz) and tetanic (7.5, 15, 30, 60, and 120/min) stimulation conditions. In addition, an earlier blood flow determination was begun at 3 min (twitch series) or at 30 s (tetanic series) of stimulation. Blood flow was highest in the FTR (220-240 ml X min-1 X 100 g-1), intermediate in the STR (140), and lowest in the FTW (70-80) section during tetanic contraction conditions estimated to coincide with the peak aerobic function of each fiber type. These blood flows are fairly proportional to the differences in oxidative capacity among fiber types. Further, their absolute values are similar to those predicted from the relationship between blood flow and oxidative capacity found by others for dog and cat muscles. During low-frequency contraction conditions, initial blood flow to the FTR and STR sections were excessively high and not dependent on contraction frequency. However, blood flows subsequently decreased to values in keeping with the relative energy demands. In contrast, FTW muscle did not exhibit this time-dependent relative hyperemia. Thus, besides the obvious quantitative differences between skeletal muscle fiber types, there are qualitative differences in blood flow response during contractions. Our findings establish that, based on fiber type composition, a heterogeneity in blood flow distribution can occur within a whole muscle during contraction.


1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Staron

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


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ildus I. Ahmetov ◽  
Olga L. Vinogradova ◽  
Alun G. Williams

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.


Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
William S Jones ◽  
Brian D Duscha ◽  
Jennifer L Robbins ◽  
Amy J Aldrich ◽  
Judy G Regensteiner ◽  
...  

Background : Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disorder characterized by impaired blood flow to the legs and maladaptive changes in the skeletal muscle. It is generally accepted that the skeletal muscle characteristics in patients with PAD include decreased capillary density and an altered percentage of oxidative myofibers. The scientific literature is conflicting, and it is based on studies with small sample size and older methodologies of skeletal muscle analysis. In addition, women are under-represented or not included at all in these studies. Hypothesis : We hypothesized that there would be differences in skeletal muscle composition in PAD patients compared to healthy controls. We further hypothesized that there would be gender differences in skeletal muscle composition in PAD patients versus healthy controls. Methods : Thirty -one patients with PAD and 31 age-, gender-, and activity-matched healthy controls underwent gastrocnemius muscle biopsy. Capillary density analysis and muscle fiber type determination were performed using immunohistochemistry techniques. Capillary density was measured as endothelial cells per muscle fiber and endothelial cells per area (mm 2 ). Results : There was no significant difference in capillary density in patients with PAD versus healthy controls when measured as endothelial cells per fiber (mean = 1.45 ± 0.43 vs. 1.50 ± 0.35, NS) or area (mean = 1.20 ± 0.29 vs. 1.29 ± 0.33, NS). There was also no difference in muscle fiber type composition between the groups. In the PAD cohort, capillary density was significantly lower in the men versus the women (mean = 1.36 ± 0.35 vs. 1.59 ± 0.51, p=0.005). In our cohort of women, there was no difference in capillary density in patients with PAD versus healthy controls (N=12). In men, capillary density was significantly lower in the PAD group versus healthy controls (N=19, mean = 1.09 ± 0.20 vs. 1.28 ± 0.34, p=0.043). Conclusions : Our data fail to confirm the belief that patients with PAD have a decreased capillary density and an altered percentage of oxidative myofibers. However, we did find that gender has an important impact on these characteristics. Further study of skeletal muscle composition in PAD may help to better understand the functional relevance of the gender differences.


1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 1061-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Constantin-Teodosiu ◽  
S. Howell ◽  
P. L. Greenhaff

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.


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