Myonuclear number and myosin heavy chain expression in rat soleus single muscle fibers after spaceflight

1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Allen ◽  
W. Yasui ◽  
T. Tanaka ◽  
Y. Ohira ◽  
S. Nagaoka ◽  
...  

The effects of 14 days of spaceflight on myonuclear number, fiber size, and myosin heavy chain (MHC) expression in isolated rat soleus muscle fiber segments were studied. Single soleus muscle fibers from rats flown on the Spacelab Life Sciences-2 14-day mission were compared with those from age-matched ground-based control rats by using confocal microscopy and gel electrophoresis. Spaceflight resulted in a significant reduction in the number of fibers expressing type I MHC and an increase in the number of fibers expressing type IIx or IIa MHC. Space-flight also resulted in an increase in the percentage of fibers coexpressing more than one MHC and in the reexpression of the neonatal isoform of MHC in some fibers. Fiber cross-sectional area was significantly reduced in pure type I MHC-expressing fibers and in fibers coexpressing type I+II MHC but not in fibers expressing one or more type II MHC in the flight rats. The number of myonuclei per millimeter was significantly reduced in type I MHC-expressing fibers from the flight rats but was not significantly different in type I+II and type II MHC-coexpressing fibers. Fibers expressing neonatal MHC were similar in size to control fibers but had significantly fewer myonuclei per millimeter than flight fibers not expressing neonatal MHC. In type I MHC-expressing fibers, the reduction in fiber cross-sectional area was greater than the reduction in myonuclear number; thus the average cytoplasmic volume per myonucleus was significantly lower in flight than in control fibers. The reduction in both myonuclear number and fiber size of fibers expressing type I MHC after 14 days of spaceflight supports the hypothesis that changes in the number of myonuclei may be a contributing factor to the reduction in fiber size associated with chronic unloading of the musculature.

1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 2540-2546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Talmadge ◽  
Roland R. Roy ◽  
V. Reggie Edgerton

Talmadge, Robert J., Roland R. Roy, and V. Reggie Edgerton.Distribution of myosin heavy chain isoforms in non-weight-bearing rat soleus muscle fibers. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(6): 2540–2546, 1996.—The effects of 14 days of spaceflight (SF) or hindlimb suspension (HS) (Cosmos 2044) on myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform content of the rat soleus muscle and single muscle fibers were determined. On the basis of electrophoretic analyses, there was a de novo synthesis of type IIx MHC but no change in either type I or IIa MHC isoform proportions after either SF or HS compared with controls. The percentage of fibers containing only type I MHC decreased by 26 and 23%, and the percentage of fibers with multiple MHCs increased from 6% in controls to 32% in HS and 34% in SF rats. Type IIx MHC was always found in combination with another MHC or combination of MHCs; i.e., no fibers contained type IIx MHC exclusively. These data suggest that the expression of the normal complement of MHC isoforms in the adult rat soleus muscle is dependent, in part, on normal weight bearing and that the absence of weight bearing induces a shift toward type IIx MHC protein expression in the preexisting type I and IIa fibers of the soleus.


1994 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 947-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Lewis ◽  
S. A. Monn ◽  
W. Z. Zhan ◽  
G. C. Sieck

Interactive effects of emphysema (EMP) and prolonged nutritional deprivation (ND) on contractile, morphometric, and metabolic properties of hamster diaphragm muscle (DIA) were examined. Six months after induction of EMP (intratracheal elastase), saline-treated controls (CTL) and EMP hamsters of similar body weights were subjected to ND over 6 wk. Isometric contractile and fatigue properties of costal DIA were determined in vitro. DIA fibers were histochemically classified as type I or II, and fiber succinate dehydrogenase activity and cross-sectional area were determined using quantitative microscopic procedures. From histochemical sections, the number of capillaries per fiber (C/F) and per fiber cross-sectional area (C/A) were determined. ND resulted in progressive loss of body weight (ND-CTL, 23.8%; ND-EMP, 28.4%; P = NS). ND did not affect reduction in optimal length (Lo) of DIA fibers in EMP compared with CTL and ND-CTL hamsters. Maximum specific force (i.e., force/unit area) was reduced by approximately 25% in EMP animals compared with CTL. ND did not improve or exacerbate the reduction in specific force with EMP. ND attenuated improved fatigue resistance of DIA in EMP animals. No differences in fiber type proportions were noted among experimental groups. Significant atrophy of type I and II DIA fibers was noted after ND. Atrophy was proportionately greater in type II fibers of ND-EMP when referenced to EMP animals. Thus adaptive hypertrophy of type II DIA fibers in EMP animals was abolished. Fiber succinate dehydrogenase activity was significantly increased in type I and II fibers in EMP DIA. ND did not affect this metabolic adaptation of DIA fibers to persistent loads imposed by EMP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2011 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Mendias ◽  
Erdan Kayupov ◽  
Joshua R. Bradley ◽  
Susan V. Brooks ◽  
Dennis R. Claflin

Myostatin ( MSTN) is a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily of cytokines and is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Compared with MSTN+/+ mice, the extensor digitorum longus muscles of MSTN−/− mice exhibit hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and greater maximum isometric force production (Fo), but decreased specific maximum isometric force (sFo; Fo normalized by muscle cross-sectional area). The reason for the reduction in sFo was not known. Studies in myotubes indicate that inhibiting myostatin may increase muscle mass by decreasing the expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase atrogin-1, which could impact the force-generating capacity and size of muscle fibers. To gain a greater understanding of the influence of myostatin on muscle contractility, we determined the impact of myostatin deficiency on the contractility of permeabilized muscle fibers and on the levels of atrogin-1 and ubiquitinated myosin heavy chain in whole muscle. We hypothesized that single fibers from MSTN−/− mice have a greater Fo, but no difference in sFo, and a decrease in atrogin-1 and ubiquitin-tagged myosin heavy chain levels. The results indicated that fibers from MSTN−/− mice have a greater cross-sectional area, but do not have a greater Fo and have a sFo that is significantly lower than fibers from MSTN+/+ mice. The extensor digitorum longus muscles from MSTN−/− mice also have reduced levels of atrogin-1 and ubiquitinated myosin heavy chain. These findings suggest that myostatin inhibition in otherwise healthy muscle increases the size of muscle fibers and decreases atrogin-1 levels, but does not increase the force production of individual muscle fibers.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Kasper ◽  
T. P. White ◽  
L. C. Maxwell

The objectives were to study morphological adaptations of soleus muscle to decreased loading induced by hindlimb suspension and the effect of run training during the subsequent recovery period. Adult female Wistar rats were kept for 28 days with hindlimbs suspended. For the next 28 days, rats were assigned to a cage-sedentary or daily running group. Compared with control soleus muscles, 28 days of hindlimb suspension reduced the mass and fiber cross-sectional area to 58 and 53% of control values, respectively, and decreased type I fibers from 92 +/- 2 to 81 +/- 2%. During recovery, clusters of damaged fibers were observed in the soleus muscle, and this observation was more pronounced in trained animals. Type IIc fibers appeared transiently during recovery, and their presence was exacerbated with training, as IIc fibers increased to approximately 20% of the total by day 14 of recovery and were no longer evident at day 28. Although muscle wet mass does not differ as a result of mode of recovery at day 14, training transiently decreased the overall fiber area compared with sedentary recovery at this point. By day 28 of recovery the morphological characteristics of soleus muscle in the trained group did not differ from control muscle, whereas in the sedentary group muscle mass and overall fiber cross-sectional area were approximately 14% less than control values.


2020 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 576-585
Author(s):  
Christopher Setzke ◽  
Oleg Broytman ◽  
John A. Russell ◽  
Natalie Morel ◽  
Michelle Sonsalla ◽  
...  

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common in patients with asthma, and inhaled corticosteroids may contribute to OSA pathogenesis in these patients. This study tested the effects of orally inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP) on extrinsic tongue muscles. Unanesthetized rats were treated with FP or placebo for 28 days. On day 29, tongue retrusive and protrusive functions were tested via hypoglossal nerve stimulation under a state of anesthesia, followed by genioglossus (GG), styloglossus (SG) and hyoglossus (HG) muscle extraction, after euthanasia, for histology [myosin heavy chain (MHC) fibers and laminin content reflecting extracellular matrix (ECM)]. On protrusive testing, FP increased percent maximum tetanic force at 40 Hz ( P = 0.03 vs. placebo) and endurance index ( P = 0.029 vs. placebo). On retrusive testing, FP increased maximum twitch ( P = 0.026 vs. placebo) and tetanic forces ( P = 0.02 vs. placebo) with no effect on endurance index. On histology, FP increased GG cross-sectional area of MHC type IIa ( P = 0.036 vs. placebo) and tended to increase type IIb ( P = 0.057 vs. placebo) fibers and HG MHC IIx fibers ( P = 0.065). The FP group had significantly increased laminin-stained areas, of greatest magnitude in the HG muscle. FP affects tongue protrusive and retrusive functions differently, concurrent with a shift in MHC fibers and increased ECM accumulation. These differential alterations may destabilize the tongue’s “muscle hydrostat” during sleep and promote collapse. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The effects of inhaled corticosteroid on upper airway may contribute to OSA pathogenesis in asthma. In this study, we tested the effects of orally inhaled fluticasone propionate on tongue protrusive and retrusive functions and on tongue extrinsic muscle fiber composition and molecular properties. We found that fluticasone treatment: 1) increased protrusive endurance and retrusive maximum twitch and tetanic force; and 2) on histology, increased cross-sectional area of myosin heavy chain (MHC) type IIa fibers and tended to increase cross-sectional area of MHC type IIb fibers in the protrusive muscle and of MHC IIx fibers in the retrusors. It also increased laminin-stained areas, across extrinsic tongue muscles, of greatest magnitude in the retrusors; and 3) reduced protein degradation and activated pathways associated with increased protein synthesis in the protrusor. These differential effects on the protrusors and retrusors may destabilize the tongue’s “muscle hydrostat” properties during sleep and promote collapse.


1993 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 742-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Prezant ◽  
D. E. Valentine ◽  
H. H. Kim ◽  
E. I. Gentry

The effects of 4.5 days of acute starvation, either alone or followed by refeeding (ad libitum), on diaphragm contractility, fatigue, and fiber types were studied in male rats. Contractility and fatigue resistance indexes were measured in an in vitro costal diaphragm strip preparation with direct stimulation at 37 degrees C. Compared with controls, starvation produced a 28 +/- 1% (P < 0.001) reduction in body weight and an 18 +/- 4% (P < 0.001) reduction in costal diaphragm weight. Twitch and tetanic tensions (normalized for weight or cross-sectional area) were not reduced by starvation. Starvation produced significant increases in fatigue resistance indexes after a 5-Hz stimulation paradigm but not after a 100-Hz paradigm, supporting the hypothesis that fatigue resistance is dependent on the energy demand of a given paradigm. The proportions of type I and type II fibers were similar between diaphragms of starved and control rats, but the cross-sectional area of type II fibers decreased significantly by 18 +/- 7% (P < 0.01). Thus, despite the significant decrease in diaphragm weight after starvation, contractility was preserved and fatigue resistance was increased (low-output paradigm). This is consistent with the decrease in type II fiber area. Refeeding restored all parameters so that there were no longer significant differences in body or diaphragm weight, contractility, fatigue, or fiber types.


2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa Guildner Gehrke ◽  
Margaret Sheie Krull ◽  
Robin Shotwell McDonald ◽  
Tracy Sparby ◽  
Jessica Thoele ◽  
...  

Age-related changes in skeletal muscle, in combination with bed rest, may result in a poorer rehabilitation potential for an elderly patient. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of non-weight bearing (hind limb unweighting [HU]) on the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) in older rats. Two non-weight bearing conditions were used: an uninterrupted bout of HU and an interrupted bout of HU. Twenty-one rats were randomly placed into 1 of 3 groups: control, interrupted HU (2 phases of 7 days of HU, separated by a 4-day weight-bearing phase) and an uninterrupted HU (18 uninterrupted days of HU). Following non-weight bearing, the soleus and EDL muscles were removed. Fiber type identification was performed by myofibrillar ATPase and cross-sectional area was determined. The findings suggest that any period of non-weight bearing leads to a decrease in muscle wet weight (19%-45%). Both type I and type II fibers of the soleus showed atrophy (decrease in cross-sectional area, 35%-44%) with an uninterrupted bout of non-weight bearing. Only the type II fibers of the soleus showed recovery with an interrupted bout of weight bearing. In the EDL, type II fibers were more affected by an uninterrupted bout of non-weight bearing (15% decrease in fiber size) compared to the type I fibers. EDL type II fibers showed more atrophy with interrupted bouts of non-weight bearing than with a single bout (a 40% compared to a 15% decrease). This study shows that initial weight bearing after an episode of non-weight bearing may be damaging to type II fibers of the EDL.


1987 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 1076-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Sieck ◽  
R. D. Sacks ◽  
C. E. Blanco

The oxidative capacity and cross-sectional area of muscle fibers were compared between the costal and crural regions of the cat diaphragm and across the abdominal-thoracic extent of the muscle. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity of individual fibers was quantified using a microphotometric procedure implemented on an image-processing system. In both costal and crural regions, population distributions of SDH activities were unimodal for both type I and II fibers. The continuous distribution of SDH activities for type II fibers indicated that no clear threshold exists for the subclassification of fibers based on differences in oxidative capacity (e.g., the classification of fast-twitch glycolytic and fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic fiber types). No differences in either SDH activity or cross-sectional area were noted between fiber populations of the costal and crural regions. Differences in SDH activity and cross-sectional area were noted, however, between fiber populations located on the abdominal and thoracic sides of the costal region. Both type I and II fibers on the abdominal side of the costal diaphragm were larger and more oxidative than comparable fibers on the thoracic side.


1995 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 1740-1744 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Y. Zhou ◽  
H. Klitgaard ◽  
B. Saltin ◽  
R. R. Roy ◽  
V. R. Edgerton ◽  
...  

The influence of microgravity on the myosin phenotype of skeletal muscle fibers in the vastus lateralis of eight crew members was studied before and after 5-day (n = 3) and 11-day (n = 5) spaceflights (space shuttle flights: STS-32, -33 and -34). Single-fiber electrophoresis analyses showed that the proportion of fibers expressing only slow (type I) myosin heavy chain (MHC) in the vastus lateralis was significantly lower after than before 11 days of spaceflight. Although the family of type II MHC isoforms was elevated post- compared with preflight, the distribution among the isoforms of type II MHC was not statistically different. Based on monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies specific for three adult MHC isoforms and single-fiber electrophoresis, approximately 3% of the fibers analyzed coexpressed all three adult MHC isoforms. The results from immunohistochemical staining with two different sets of antibodies indicate a reduction in the percentage of fibers expressing type I MHC as a result of spaceflight. The mean difference, however, was significant only when the fibers were categorized simply as type I or II. These changes appeared to be highly individualized among the astronauts. These results suggest that a rapid change in MHC isoform expression can occur in some muscle fibers after a relatively brief exposure to spaceflight.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. C458-C467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuminori Kawano ◽  
Yoshiaki Takeno ◽  
Naoya Nakai ◽  
Yoko Higo ◽  
Masahiro Terada ◽  
...  

Effects of gravitational loading or unloading on the growth-associated increase in the cross-sectional area and length of fibers, as well as the total fiber number, in soleus muscle were studied in rats. Furthermore, the roles of satellite cells and myonuclei in growth of these properties were also investigated. The hindlimb unloading by tail suspension was performed in newborn rats from postnatal day 4 to month 3 with or without 3-mo reloading. The morphological properties were measured in whole muscle and/or single fibers sampled from tendon to tendon. Growth-associated increases of soleus weight and fiber cross-sectional area in the unloaded group were ∼68% and 69% less than the age-matched controls. However, the increases of number and length of fibers were not influenced by unloading. Growth-related increases of the number of quiescent satellite cells and myonuclei were inhibited by unloading. And the growth-related decrease of mitotically active satellite cells, seen even in controls (20%, P > 0.05), was also stimulated (80%). The increase of myonuclei during 3-mo unloading was only 40 times vs. 92 times in controls. Inhibited increase of myonuclear number was not related to apoptosis. The size of myonuclear domain in the unloaded group was less and that of single nuclei, which was decreased by growth, was larger than controls. However, all of these parameters, inhibited by unloading, were increased toward the control levels generally by reloading. It is suggested that the satellite cell-related stimulation in response to gravitational loading plays an essential role in the cross-sectional growth of soleus muscle fibers.


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