Sarcomere number adaptation after retinaculum transection in adult mice.

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Burkholder ◽  
R L Lieber

Skeletal muscle has been shown to adjust serial sarcomere number in response to chronic static length changes. However, the adaptive responses to alterations in the dynamic environment are less well defined. The adaptations of the adult mouse tibialis anterior (TA) muscle to altered length and excursion were investigated by surgical transection of the flexor retinaculum. TA moment arm and muscle excursion increased by 38±7 % (mean ± s.e.m.) and fully extended (plantarflexed) muscle length was decreased by 8 % after flexor retinaculum transection. In spite of the significant shortening of the muscle in full plantar- and dorsiflexion, serial sarcomere number decreased by 10±1 % after 2 weeks of recovery. Gait analysis of these transected animals revealed a 14±3 % decrease in dorsiflexion angular velocity after transection. The decrease in angular velocity was less than the increase in moment arm and, as a result, muscle velocity was calculated to increase by 20±4 %. These data suggested that the muscle adapted in response to the underlying change in length, irrespective of the altered excursion or velocity.

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 2466-2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Burkholder

Muscle fiber length adaptation to static stretch or shortening depends on age, with sarcomere addition in young muscle being dependent on mobility. Series sarcomere number can also increase in young animals in response to increased muscle excursion, but it is not clear whether adult muscles respond similarly. The ankle flexor retinaculum was transected in neonatal and adult rats to increase tibialis anterior muscle excursion. Sarcomere number in tibialis anterior was determined after 8 wk of adaptation. Muscle moment arm and excursion were increased 30% ( P < 0.01) in both age groups. Muscle cross-sectional area was reduced by 12% ( P < 0.01) in response to the increased mechanical advantage, and this reduction was unaffected by age. Fiber length change was also unaffected by age, with both groups showing a trend ( P < 0.10) for slightly (6%) increased fiber length. Retinaculum transection results in shorter muscle length in all joint configurations, so this trend opposes the fiber length decrease predicted by an adaptation to muscle length and indicates that fiber length is influenced by dynamic mechanical signals in addition to static length.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (615) ◽  
pp. eaay9452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Moreno-Domínguez ◽  
Patricia Ortega-Sáenz ◽  
Lin Gao ◽  
Olalla Colinas ◽  
Paula García-Flores ◽  
...  

Acute cardiorespiratory responses to O2 deficiency are essential for physiological homeostasis. The prototypical acute O2-sensing organ is the carotid body, which contains glomus cells expressing K+ channels whose inhibition by hypoxia leads to transmitter release and activation of nerve fibers terminating in the brainstem respiratory center. The mechanism by which changes in O2 tension modulate ion channels has remained elusive. Glomus cells express genes encoding HIF2α (Epas1) and atypical mitochondrial subunits at high levels, and mitochondrial NADH and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation during hypoxia provides the signal that regulates ion channels. We report that inactivation of Epas1 in adult mice resulted in selective abolition of glomus cell responsiveness to acute hypoxia and the hypoxic ventilatory response. Epas1 deficiency led to the decreased expression of atypical mitochondrial subunits in the carotid body, and genetic deletion of Cox4i2 mimicked the defective hypoxic responses of Epas1-null mice. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the acute O2 regulation of breathing, reveal an unanticipated role of HIF2α, and link acute and chronic adaptive responses to hypoxia.


1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (16) ◽  
pp. 2139-2150 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. Shadwick ◽  
S.L. Katz ◽  
K.E. Korsmeyer ◽  
T. Knower ◽  
J.W. Covell

Cyclic length changes in the internal red muscle of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) were measured using sonomicrometry while the fish swam in a water tunnel at steady speeds of 1.1-2.3 L s(−)(1), where L is fork length. These data were coupled with simultaneous electromyographic (EMG) recordings. The onset of EMG activity occurred at virtually the same phase of the strain cycle for muscle at axial locations between approximately 0.4L and 0.74L, where the majority of the internal red muscle is located. Furthermore, EMG activity always began during muscle lengthening, 40–50 prior to peak length, suggesting that force enhancement by stretching and net positive work probably occur in red muscle all along the body. Our results support the idea that positive contractile power is derived from all the aerobic swimming muscle in tunas, while force transmission is provided primarily by connective tissue structures, such as skin and tendons, rather than by muscles performing negative work. We also compared measured muscle length changes with midline curvature (as a potential index of muscle strain) calculated from synchronised video image analysis. Unlike contraction of the superficial red muscle in other fish, the shortening of internal red muscle in skipjack tuna substantially lags behind changes in the local midline curvature. The temporal separation of red muscle shortening and local curvature is so pronounced that, in the mid-body region, muscle shortening at each location is synchronous with midline curvature at locations that are 7–8 cm (i.e. 8–10 vertebral segments) more posterior. These results suggest that contraction of the internal red muscle causes deformation of the body at more posterior locations, rather than locally. This situation represents a unique departure from the model of a homogeneous bending beam, which describes red muscle strain in other fish during steady swimming, but is consistent with the idea that tunas produce thrust by motion of the caudal fin rather than by undulation of segments along the body.


Author(s):  
Katarzyna Nowakowska ◽  
Robert Michnik ◽  
Katarzyna Jochymczyk-Woźniak ◽  
Jacek Jurkojć ◽  
Ilona Kopyta

1982 ◽  
Vol 242 (3) ◽  
pp. C146-C158 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Meiss

Controlled length changes were imposed on mesotubarium superius and ovarian ligament smooth muscles from the reproductive tracts of female rabbits in constant estrus. Stretches of up to 35% of the muscle length were applied during isometric contraction, relaxation, and steady-state force levels. Force was continuously monitored and was plotted as a function of length. During constant velocity stretches there was an initial steep rise in force, a rapid downward deviation from the initial slope, and a long region with a constant upward slope. Stretches made during contraction showed smaller initial rises in force and steeper linear portions than did identical comparison stretches made during relaxation. The value of the slope was independent of the prior developed force, but it did depend on whether the muscle was contracting or relaxing. During contraction and steady-state force levels, the slope was independent of the stretch rate, but it was strongly rate dependent during relaxation. Changes in the stretch rate during stretch caused associated changes in muscle force; the relationship was curvilinear and was exaggerated during relaxation. The findings are placed in the context of a sliding-filament--cross-bridge hypothesis.


1979 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 420-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Loeb ◽  
J. Duysens

1. Chronically implanted microelectrode wires in the L7 and S1 dorsal root ganglia were used to record unit activity from cat hindlimb primary and secondary muscle spindle afferents. Units could be reliably recorded for several days, permitting comparison of their activity with homonymous muscle EMG and length during a variety of normal, unrestrained movements. 2. The general observation was that among both primary and secondary endings there was a broad range of different patterns of activity depending on the type of muscle involved and the type of movement performed. 3. During walking, the activity of a given spindle primary was usually consistent among similar step cycles. However, the activity was usually poorly correlated with absolute muscle length, apparently unrealted to velocity of muscle stretch, and could change markedly for similar movements performed under different conditions. 4. Spindle activity modulation not apparently related to muscle length changes was assumed to be influenced by fusimotor activity. In certain muscles, this presumption leads to the conclusion that gamma-motoneurons may be activated out of phase with homonymous alpha-motoneurons as well as by more conventional alpha-gamma-motoneuron coactivation. 5. Simultaneous recordings of two spindle primary afferents from extensor digitorum longus indicated that spindles within the same muscle may differ considerably with respect to this presumed gamma-motoneuron drive. 6. Spindle secondary endings appeared to be predominantly passive indicators of muscle length during walking, but could demonstrate apparently strong fusimotor modulation during other motor activities such as postural changes and paw shaking. 7. Both primary and secondary endings were observed to undergo very rapid modulation of firing rates in response to presumed reflexly induced intrafusal contractions. 8. It is suggested that the pattern of fusimotor control of spindles may be tailored to the specific muscle and task being performed, rather than necessarily dominated by rigid alpha-gamma coactivation.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Okazawa ◽  
P. Pare ◽  
J. Road

We applied the technique of sonomicrometry to directly measure length changes of the trachealis muscle in vivo. Pairs of small 1-mm piezoelectric transducers were placed in parallel with the muscle fibers in the posterior tracheal wall in seven anesthetized dogs. Length changes were recorded during mechanical ventilation and during complete pressure-volume curves of the lung. The trachealis muscle showed spontaneous fluctuations in base-line length that disappeared after vagotomy. Before vagotomy passive pressure-length curves showed marked hysteresis and length changed by 18.5 +/- 13.2% (SD) resting length at functional residual capacity (LFRC) from FRC to total lung capacity (TLC) and by 28.2 +/- 16.2% LFRC from FRC to residual volume (RV). After vagotomy hysteresis decreased considerably and length now changed by 10.4 +/- 3.7% LFRC from FRC to TLC and by 32.5 +/- 14.6% LFRC from FRC to RV. Bilateral supramaximal vagal stimulation produced a mean maximal active shortening of 28.8 +/- 14.2% resting length at any lung volume (LR) and shortening decreased at lengths above FRC. The mean maximal velocity of shortening was 4.2 +/- 3.9% LR.S-1. We conclude that sonomicrometry may be used to record smooth muscle length in vivo. Vagal tone strongly influences passive length change. In vivo active shortening and velocity of shortening are less than in vitro, implying that there are significant loads impeding shortening in vivo.


1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 144 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Whiting ◽  
R. J. Gregor ◽  
R. R. Roy
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kaitlin M. Gallagher ◽  
Anita N. Vasavada ◽  
Leah Fischer ◽  
Ethan C. Douglas

A popular posture for using wireless technology is reclined sitting, with the trunk rotated posteriorly to the hips. This position decreases the head’s gravitational moment; however, the head angle relative to the trunk is similar to that of upright sitting when using a tablet in the lap. This study compared cervical extensor musculotendon length changes from neutral among 3 common sitting postures and maximum neck flexion while using a tablet. Twenty-one participants had radiographs taken in neutral, full-flexion, and upright, semireclined, and reclined postures with a tablet in their lap. A biomechanical model was used to calculate subject-specific normalized musculotendon lengths for 27 cervical musculotendon segments. The lower cervical spine was more flexed during reclined sitting, but the skull was more flexed during upright sitting. Normalized musculotendon length increased in the reclined compared with an upright sitting position for the C4-C6/7 (deep) and C2-C6/7 (superficial) multifidi, semispinalis cervicis (C2-C7), and splenius capitis (Skull-C7). The suboccipital (R2 = .19–.71) and semispinalis capitis segment length changes were significantly correlated with the Skull-C1 angle (0.24–0.51). A semireclined reading position may be an ideal sitting posture to reduce the head’s gravitational moment arm without overstretching the assessed muscles.


1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. B. Hooper

1. The dietary intake of male mice from a line selected for high body-weight was restricted to 60% by weight of the ad lib. intake of the control litter-mates between days 21 and 42 post partum.2. One group was killed and compared with controls at 42 d of age. A further group then resumed ad lib. feeding. Mice which had regained the control body-weight by 61 d of age were killed and also compared with controls.3. Muscle weight, fibre length, sarcomere length, sarcomere number per fibre, actin length and myosin length were measured in the biceps brachii and tibialis anterior muscles.4. Muscle weight, fibre length and the number of sarcomeres per fibre were significantly reduced in both muscles following dietary restriction, but regained their control values following a resumption of normal feeding. The other indices remained unchanged throughout the study.5. The pattern of fibre length changes, due entirely to alterations in sarcomere number, is similar to that reported previously during growth, senescence and immobilization and following selection for high and low body-weights.


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