Effect of spaceflight on skeletal muscle: mechanical properties and myosin isoform content of a slow muscle

1994 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1764-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. J. Caiozzo ◽  
M. J. Baker ◽  
R. E. Herrick ◽  
M. Tao ◽  
K. M. Baldwin

This study examined changes in contractile, biochemical, and histochemical properties of slow antigravity skeletal muscle after a 6-day spaceflight mission. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: flight and ground-based control. Approximately 3 h after the landing, in situ contractile measurements were made on the soleus muscles of the flight animals. The control animals were studied 24 h later. The contractile measurements included force-velocity relationship, force-frequency relationship, and fatigability. Biochemical measurements focused on the myosin heavy chain (MHC) and myosin light chain profiles. Adenosine-triphosphatase histochemistry was performed to identify cross-sectional area of slow and fast muscle fibers and to determine the percent fiber type distribution. The force-velocity relationships of the flight muscles were altered such that maximal isometric tension (Po) was decreased by 24% and maximal shortening velocity was increased by 14% (P < 0.05). The force-frequency relationship of the flight muscles was shifted to the right of the control muscles. At the end of the 2-min fatigue test, the flight muscles generated only 34% of Po, whereas the control muscles generated 64% of Po. The flight muscles exhibited de novo expression of the type IIx MHC isoform as well as a slight decrease in the slow type I and fast type IIa MHC isoforms. Histochemical analyses of flight muscles demonstrated a small increase in the percentage of fast type II fibers and a greater atrophy of the slow type I fibers. The results demonstrate that contractile properties of slow antigravity skeletal muscle are sensitive to the microgravity environment and that changes begin to occur within the 1st wk. These changes were at least, in part, associated with changes in the amount and type of contractile protein expressed.

1995 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 629-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. N. Dekhuijzen ◽  
G. Gayan-Ramirez ◽  
A. Bisschop ◽  
V. De Bock ◽  
R. Dom ◽  
...  

Triamcinolone (TR) causes type IIb fiber atrophy in the rat diaphragm, which is associated with changes in contractile properties. We investigated whether this is a direct effect of TR or the result of an accompanying loss of body and diaphragm weights. For 6 wk, adult rats received saline intramuscularly, TR (0.5 mg/kg im), or nutritional depletion (ND) that resulted in a similar (approximately 40%) reduction in body weight as TR. In these animals, the half-relaxation time of the diaphragm bundles increased, the force-frequency relationship shifted leftward, and the resistance to fatigue was increased. No histological changes were found in the ND diaphragm, in contrast to severe myogenic alterations in the TR diaphragm. Type IIb fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) in the TR diaphragm was reduced by 51%, whereas type I and IIa CSAs were unaffected. In the ND animals, the CSAs of type I, IIa, and IIb fibers were reduced by 31, 33, and 52%, respectively. Similar changes occurred in the deep part of the m. gastrocnemius. In conclusion, myogenic changes and selective type IIb fiber atrophy were caused by TR, whereas ND induced generalized fiber type atrophy without histological changes.


Author(s):  
Fakhreddin Yaghoob Nezhad ◽  
Annett Riermeier ◽  
Martin Schönfelder ◽  
Lore Becker ◽  
Martin Hrabĕ de Angelis ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Hippo signal transduction network regulates transcription through Yap/Taz-Tead1-4 in many tissues including skeletal muscle. Whilst transgenic mice have been generated for many Hippo genes, the resultant skeletal muscle phenotypes were not always characterized. Here, we aimed to phenotype the hindlimb muscles of Hippo gene-mutated Lats1−/−, Mst2−/−, Vgll3−/−, and Vgll4+/− mice. This analysis revealed that Lats1−/− mice have 11% more slow type I fibers than age and sex-matched wild-type controls. Moreover, the mRNA expression of slow Myh7 increased by 50%, and the concentration of type I myosin heavy chain is 80% higher in Lats1−/− mice than in age and sex-matched wild-type controls. Second, to find out whether exercise-related stimuli affect Lats1, we stimulated C2C12 myotubes with the hypertrophy agent clenbuterol or the energy stress agent AICAR. We found that both stimulated Lats1 expression by 1.2 and 1.3 fold respectively. Third, we re-analyzed published datasets and found that Lats1 mRNA in muscle is 63% higher in muscular dystrophy, increases by 17–77% after cardiotoxin-induced muscle injury, by 41–71% in muscles during overload-induced hypertrophy, and by 19–21% after endurance exercise when compared to respective controls. To conclude, Lats1 contributes to the regulation of muscle fiber type proportions, and its expression is regulated by physiological and pathological situations in skeletal muscle.


2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 823-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Fitts ◽  
Danny R. Riley ◽  
Jeffrey J. Widrick

Spaceflight (SF) has been shown to cause skeletal muscle atrophy; a loss in force and power; and, in the first few weeks, a preferential atrophy of extensors over flexors. The atrophy primarily results from a reduced protein synthesis that is likely triggered by the removal of the antigravity load. Contractile proteins are lost out of proportion to other cellular proteins, and the actin thin filament is lost disproportionately to the myosin thick filament. The decline in contractile protein explains the decrease in force per cross-sectional area, whereas the thin-filament loss may explain the observed postflight increase in the maximal velocity of shortening in the type I and IIa fiber types. Importantly, the microgravity-induced decline in peak power is partially offset by the increased fiber velocity. Muscle velocity is further increased by the microgravity-induced expression of fast-type myosin isozymes in slow fibers (hybrid I/II fibers) and by the increased expression of fast type II fiber types. SF increases the susceptibility of skeletal muscle to damage, with the actual damage elicited during postflight reloading. Evidence in rats indicates that SF increases fatigability and reduces the capacity for fat oxidation in skeletal muscles. Future studies will be required to establish the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the SF-induced muscle atrophy and functional loss and to develop effective exercise countermeasures.


1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1273-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Norman ◽  
Donna K. Mahnke-Zizelman ◽  
Amy Vallis ◽  
Richard L. Sabina

AMPD1 genotype, relative fiber type composition, training status, and gender were evaluated as contributing factors to the reported variation in AMP deaminase enzyme activity in healthy skeletal muscle. Multifactorial correlative analyses demonstrate that AMPD1 genotype has the greatest effect on enzyme activity. An AMPD1 mutant allele frequency of 13.7 and a 1.7% incidence of enzyme deficiency was found across 175 healthy subjects. Homozygotes for the AMPD1 normal allele have high enzyme activities, and heterozygotes display intermediate activities. When examined according to genotype, other factors were found to affect variability as follows: AMP deaminase activity in homozygotes for the normal allele exhibits a negative correlation with the relative percentage of type I fibers and training status. Conversely, residual AMP deaminase activity in homozygotes for the mutant allele displays a positive correlation with the relative percentage of type I fibers. Opposing correlations in different homozygous AMPD1 genotypes are likely due to relative fiber-type differences in the expression of AMPD1 and AMPD3 isoforms. Gender also contributes to variation in total skeletal muscle AMP deaminase activity, with normal homozygous and heterozygous women showing only 85–88% of the levels observed in genotype-matched men.


1997 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1291-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Delp ◽  
Changping Duan ◽  
John P. Mattson ◽  
Timothy I. Musch

Delp, Michael D., Changping Duan, John P. Mattson, and Timothy I. Musch. Changes in skeletal muscle biochemistry and histology relative to fiber type in rats with heart failure. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(4): 1291–1299, 1997.—One of the primary consequences of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) after myocardial infarction is a decrement in exercise capacity. Several factors have been hypothesized to account for this decrement, including alterations in skeletal muscle metabolism and aerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LVD-induced alterations in skeletal muscle enzyme activities, fiber composition, and fiber size are 1) generalized in muscles or specific to muscles composed primarily of a given fiber type and 2) related to the severity of the LVD. Female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham-operated controls ( n = 13) and rats with moderate ( n = 10) and severe ( n = 7) LVD. LVD was surgically induced by ligating the left main coronary artery and resulted in elevations ( P < 0.05) in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (sham, 5 ± 1 mmHg; moderate LVD, 11 ± 1 mmHg; severe LVD, 25 ± 1 mmHg). Moderate LVD decreased the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK) and citrate synthase in one muscle composed of type IIB fibers but did not modify fiber composition or size of any muscle studied. However, severe LVD diminished the activity of enzymes involved in terminal and β-oxidation in muscles composed primarily of type I fibers, type IIA fibers, and type IIB fibers. In addition, severe LVD induced a reduction in the activity of PFK in type IIB muscle, a 10% reduction in the percentage of type IID/X fibers, and a corresponding increase in the portion of type IIB fibers. Atrophy of type I fibers, type IIA fibers, and/or type IIB fibers occurred in soleus and plantaris muscles of rats with severe LVD. These data indicate that rats with severe LVD after myocardial infarction exhibit 1) decrements in mitochondrial enzyme activities independent of muscle fiber composition, 2) a reduction in PFK activity in type IIB muscle, 3) transformation of type IID/X to type IIB fibers, and 4) atrophy of type I, IIA, and IIB fibers.


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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 316 (5) ◽  
pp. E695-E706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Pataky ◽  
Carmen S. Yu ◽  
Yilin Nie ◽  
Edward B. Arias ◽  
Manak Singh ◽  
...  

Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (GU) by skeletal muscle is enhanced several hours after acute exercise in rats with normal or reduced insulin sensitivity. Skeletal muscle is composed of multiple fiber types, but exercise’s effect on fiber type-specific insulin-stimulated GU in insulin-resistant muscle was previously unknown. Male rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 2 wk) and were either sedentary (SED) or exercised (2-h exercise). Other, low-fat diet-fed (LFD) rats remained SED. Rats were studied immediately postexercise (IPEX) or 3 h postexercise (3hPEX). Epitrochlearis muscles from IPEX rats were incubated in 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose (2-[3H]DG) without insulin. Epitrochlearis muscles from 3hPEX rats were incubated with 2-[3H]DG ± 100 µU/ml insulin. After single fiber isolation, GU and fiber type were determined. Glycogen and lipid droplets (LDs) were assessed histochemically. GLUT4 abundance was determined by immunoblotting. In HFD-SED vs. LFD-SED rats, insulin-stimulated GU was decreased in type IIB, IIX, IIAX, and IIBX fibers. Insulin-independent GU IPEX was increased and glycogen content was decreased in all fiber types (types I, IIA, IIB, IIX, IIAX, and IIBX). Exercise by HFD-fed rats enhanced insulin-stimulated GU in all fiber types except type I. Single fiber analyses enabled discovery of striking fiber type-specific differences in HFD and exercise effects on insulin-stimulated GU. The fiber type-specific differences in insulin-stimulated GU postexercise in insulin-resistant muscle were not attributable to a lack of fiber recruitment, as indirectly evidenced by insulin-independent GU and glycogen IPEX, differences in multiple LD indexes, or altered GLUT4 abundance, implicating fiber type-selective differences in the cellular processes responsible for postexercise enhancement of insulin-mediated GLUT4 translocation.


1985 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1085-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Metzger ◽  
K. B. Scheidt ◽  
R. H. Fitts

The histochemical and contractile characteristics of the adult rat diaphragm were determined. Based on enzyme histochemistry, the rat diaphragm contained 40% type I, 27% type IIa, and 34% type IIb fibers. There were significantly more type I fibers in the ventral costal (VEN) compared with the crural (CRU) region of the muscle and a slightly higher percentage of type I's on the thoracic relative to the abdominal surface. The contractile properties and the effect of temperature (Q10) were similar in the VEN and CRU regions. Increasing temperature produced higher isometric peak tetanic tension, whereas twitch tension, contraction, and one-half relaxation time all decreased. The maximal shortening velocity increased linearly from 22 and 30 degrees C, then plateaued before decreasing between 35 and 37 degrees C. The VEN and CRU force-velocity curves became less concave as temperature increased from 22 to 35 degrees C. Furthermore, the force-frequency relation of both regions was shifted to the right as temperature increased. The isometric and isotonic contractile properties and fiber type distribution are similar in the VEN and CRU regions of the diaphragm. The rat diaphragm is clearly heterogeneous in fiber type distribution and functionally lies intermediate between slow- and fast-twitch limb skeletal muscles.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (12) ◽  
pp. R925-R933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ding An ◽  
Sarah J. Lessard ◽  
Taro Toyoda ◽  
Min-Young Lee ◽  
Ho-Jin Koh ◽  
...  

Increasing evidence suggests that TRB3, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila tribbles, plays an important role in cell growth, differentiation, and metabolism. In the liver, TRB3 binds and inhibits Akt activity, whereas in adipocytes, TRB3 upregulates fatty acid oxidation. In cultured muscle cells, TRB3 has been identified as a potential regulator of insulin signaling. However, little is known about the function and regulation of TRB3 in skeletal muscle in vivo. In the current study, we found that 4 wk of voluntary wheel running (6.6 ± 0.4 km/day) increased TRB3 mRNA by 1.6-fold and protein by 2.5-fold in the triceps muscle. Consistent with this finding, muscle-specific transgenic mice that overexpress TRB3 (TG) had a pronounced increase in exercise capacity compared with wild-type (WT) littermates (TG: 1,535 ± 283; WT: 644 ± 67 joules). The increase in exercise capacity in TRB3 TG mice was not associated with changes in glucose uptake or glycogen levels; however, these mice displayed a dramatic shift toward a more oxidative/fatigue-resistant (type I/IIA) muscle fiber type, including threefold more type I fibers in soleus muscles. Skeletal muscle from TRB3 TG mice had significantly decreased PPARα expression, twofold higher levels of miR208b and miR499, and corresponding increases in the myosin heavy chain isoforms Myh7 and Myb7b, which encode these microRNAs. These findings suggest that TRB3 regulates muscle fiber type via a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α)-regulated miR499/miR208b pathway, revealing a novel function for TRB3 in the regulation of skeletal muscle fiber type and exercise capacity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 470-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Thomassen ◽  
Morten Hostrup ◽  
Robyn M. Murphy ◽  
Brett A. Cromer ◽  
Casper Skovgaard ◽  
...  

Cl− channel protein 1 (ClC-1) may be important for excitability and contractility in skeletal muscle, but ClC-1 abundance has not been examined in human muscle. The aim of the present study was to examine ClC-1 abundance in human skeletal muscle, including fiber type specific differences and the effect of exercise training. A commercially available antibody was tested with positive and negative control tissue, and it recognized specifically ClC-1 in the range from 100 to 150 kDa. Abundance of ClC-1 was 38% higher ( P < 0.01) in fast twitch Type IIa muscle fibers than in slow twitch Type I. Muscle ClC-1 abundance did not change with 4 wk of training consisting of 30 min cycling at 85% of maximal heart rate (HRmax) and 3 × 30-s all out sprints or during a 7-wk training period with 10–12 × 30 s uphill cycling and 4–5 × ~4 min cycling at 90%–95% of HRmax. ClC-1 abundance correlated negatively ( P < 0.01) with maximal oxygen consumption ( r = –0.552) and incremental exercise performance ( r = –0.546). In addition, trained cyclists had lower ( P < 0.01) ClC-1 abundance than lesser trained individuals. The present observations indicate that a low abundance of muscle ClC-1 may be beneficial for exercise performance, but the role of abundance and regulation of ClC-1 in skeletal muscle of humans with respect to exercise performance and trainability need to be elucidated. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Abundance of the Cl− channel protein 1 (ClC-1) chloride channel may be important for excitability and contractility in human skeletal muscle and may therefore have implications for fatigue development. In this study, we confirmed ClC-1 specificity for a commercially available antibody, and this study is first to our knowledge to determine ClC-1 protein abundance in human muscle by Western blotting. We observed that abundance of ClC-1 was higher in fast compared with slow twitch fibers and lower in trained individuals than in recreationally active.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document