Avian muscular dystrophy: Thyroidal influence on pectoralis muscle growth and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity

The pectoralis muscles of dystrophic chickens (line 413) were hypertrophic on the basis of fresh weight and fat-free dry weight. They also had greater DNA content and greater glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) activities. Of the parameters measured, the largest differences between pectoralis muscles from dystrophic and normal (line 412) chickens were for DNA content and G6PD activity. These parameters were 4.3- and 6.7-fold, respectively, the values for control pectoralis at 5 wk of age. The average number of nuclei per unit length of isolated muscle fiber was also greater (approximately 3-fold) for the dystrophic pectoralis. Body weight and pectoralis fresh weight, fat-free dry weight, DNA content, G6PD activity and 6PGD activity were reduced significantly in propylthiouracil (PTU)-treated normal and dystrophic chickens. Moreover, the effects of PTU were more pronounced in the dystrophic strain. Thyroid deprivation significantly improved the righting ability of the dystrophic chickens, in addition to its influence on muscle hypertrophy and body growth. Thyroxine (T₄) replacement reversed the PTU effects in both strains. Of all the variables measured, total G6PD activity was the most affected by PTU treatment of dystrophic chickens and was only 16% of the control dystrophic value.In addition to the effects of thyroid deprivation on the expression of avian muscular dystrophy, we observed significant differences in thyroid-related variables in the two strains. The average thyroid weight at 4 wk and serum triiodothyronine level at 5 wk for dystrophic chickens were 65 and 76%, respectively, of the normal values. The results that we report here indicate that altered thyroid function affects the expression of avian muscular dystrophy.     

Effects of noradrenaline, serotonin, and selected antagonists on the vascular smooth muscle of normal and dystrophic chickens

The pathogenesis of the human muscular dystrophies is unknown, and several competing hypotheses have been proposed. The vascular hypothesis states that muscle fibre necrosis occurs in dystrophy as a result of transient muscle ischemia. Although abnormalities of the vascular system may be demonstrated in dystrophy, their role in pathogenesis remains obscure. The responses to serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) were examined in isolated ischiatic artery preparations from normal and genetically dystrophic chickens. The tension generated in response to 5-HT was greater in arteries from normal chickens than in arteries from dystrophic chickens, whereas responses to NA were similar. Analysis of the concentration-response relationships demonstrated that the dystrophic ischiatic artery was less sensitive to 5-HT than was the normal artery, although the sensitivity to NA was similar in both vessels. The results of this study are not consistent with the view that muscle fibre necrosis in avian dystrophy is a consequence of muscle anoxia. These data do demonstrate pharmacological differences between dystrophic avian arteries and arteries from normal chickens, but their presence may represent merely the expression of dystrophy in vascular smooth muscle.     

Intracellular protein degradation in cultures of dystrophic muscle cells and fibroblasts

We have analysed protein degradation in primary cultures of normal and dystrophic chick muscle, in fibroblasts derived from normal and dystrophic chicks, and in human skin fibroblasts from normal donors and from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Our results indicate that degradative rates of both short- and long-lived proteins are unaltered in dystrophic muscle cells and in dystrophic fibroblasts. Longer times in culture and co-culturing chick fibroblasts with the chick myotubes do not expose any dystrophy-related abnormalities in protein catabolism. Furthermore, normal and dystrophic muscle cells and fibroblasts are equally able to regulate proteolysis in response to serum and insulin. We conclude that cultures of chick myotubes, chick fibroblasts, and fibroblasts derived from humans afflicted with DMD are not appropriate models for studying the enhanced protein degradation observed in dystrophy.     

Analysis of fibronectin expression during human muscle differentiation

Fibronectin expression during human muscle differentiation was investigated by determining its distribution in foetal, normal adult and dystrophic muscle and in foetal, normal adult and dystrophic muscle cultures during myogenesis. Muscle sections and muscle cultures were studied by indirect immunofluorescence staining using polyclonal and monoclonal anti-human antibodies. Mass and clonal muscle cultures were prepared from foetal, adult and dystrophic muscle tissue. Immunofluorescence staining detected fibronectin on the epimysium, perimysium and endomysium of transverse sections of normal adult muscle, while sarcoplasm was devoid of this glycoprotein. In foetal muscle, some fibers showed a prominent ring of fibronectin. In mass and clonal cultures, myoblasts were found to synthesize and accumulate fibronectin while myotubes did not. No difference in fibronectin distribution was observed between Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and control myotubes. An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), performed on homogenated muscle, sonicated fibroblasts and muscle cells, showed a high fibronectin level in fibroblasts when compared with the other samples tested.     

Biochemical changes in progressive muscular dystrophy. XIV. Skeletal muscle myosin mRNA translatability in dystrophic mice

Variations in the content and translatability of the poly(A)+ RNA and mRNA molecules coding for myosin (M) were studied in the hind leg muscles of genetically dystrophic mice. The poly(A)+ RNA content of total skeletal muscle failed to increase normally during progression of the disease. M mRNA, isolated from dystrophic normally during progression of the disease. M mRNA, isolated from dystrophic murine muscle poly(A)+ RNA, was mostly found to be associated with the 26S RNA species. The translation of M mRNA in an in vitro heterologous wheat germ system was lower at 8 and 16 weeks in the dystrophic group as compared with the controls. Analysis of the translation products via sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, autoradiography, and densitometric autoradiographic tracing demonstrated the gradual disappearance of a protein band corresponding to M, the major component of skeletal muscle. cDNA was synthesized, using M mRNA that was isolated and purified from normal and dystrophic mouse muscle as a template. Total radioactivity was measured in some cDNA fractions produced from normal and dystrophic mouse muscle, while other fractions were utilized for separation and sizing of cDNA by disc gel electrophoresis. The cDNA from normal muscle was hybridized with M mRNA from normal and 16-week-old dystrophic mouse muscles. The cDNA probe, hybridization experiments, and studies involving the content and synthesis of M mRNA suggest that murine muscular dystrophy elicited a shorter species of mRNA or shorter sequences of the same species of mRNA coding for M. Not all poly(A)+ mRNA sequences coding for M, found in control mice, were present in their dystrophic counterparts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Myofibrillar protein degradation in the chicken. 3-Methylhistidine release in vivo and in vitro in normal and genetically muscular-dystrophic chickens

Myofibrillar protein degradation was measured in 4-week-old normal (line 412) and genetically muscular-dystrophic (line 413) New Hampshire chickens by monitoring the rates of 3-methylhistidine excretion in vivo and in vitro. A method of perfusing breast and wing muscles was developed and the rate of 3-methylhistidine release in vitro was measured between 30 and 90min of perfusion. During this perfusion period, 3-methylhistidine release from the muscle preparation was linear, indicating that changes in 3-methylhistidine concentration of the perfusate were the result of myofibrillar protein degradation. Furthermore, the viability of the perfused muscle was maintained during this interval. After 60min of perfusion, ATP, ADP and creatine phosphate concentrations in pectoral muscle were similar to muscle freeze-clamped in vivo. Rates of glucose uptake and lactate production were constant during the perfusion. In dystrophic-muscle preparations, the rate of 3-methylhistidine release in vitro (nmol/h per g of dried muscle) was elevated 2-fold when compared with that in normal muscle. From these data the fractional degradation rates of myofibrillar protein in normal and dystrophic pectoral muscle were calculated to be 12 and 24% respectively. Daily 3-methylhistidine excretion (nmol/day per g body wt.) in vivo was elevated 1.35-fold in dystrophic chickens. Additional studies revealed that the anti-dystrophic drugs diphenylhydantoin and methylsergide, which improve righting ability of dystrophic chickens, did not alter 3-methylhistidine release in vitro. This result implies that changes in myofibrillar protein turnover are not the primary lesion in avian muscular dystrophy. From tissue amino acid analysis, the myofibrillar 3-methylhistidine content per g dry weight of muscle was similar in normal and dystrophic pectoral muscle. More than 96% of the 3-methylhistidine present in pectoral muscle was associated with the myofibrillar fraction. Dystrophic myofibrillar protein contained significantly less 3-methylhistidine (nmol/g of myofibrillar protein) than protein from normal muscle. This observation supports the hypothesis that there may be a block in the biochemical maturation and development of dystrophic muscle after hatching. Free 3-methylhistidine (nmol/g wet wt.) was elevated in dystrophic muscle, whereas blood 3-methylhistidine concentrations were similar in both lines. In summary, the increased myofibrillar protein catabolism demonstrated in dystrophic pectoral muscle correlates with the increased lysosomal cathepsin activity in this tissue as reported by others.     

Lipids of dystrophic and normal mouse muscle: whole tissue and particulate fractions

Myofibrillar, mitochondrial, and microsomal fractions were prepared from normal and dystrophic mouse limb muscle by differential centrifugation and analyzed for phospholipids and cholesterol. Fatty acids and aldehydes of neutral lipids and of phospholipids from whole muscle and particulate fractions were also determined. Normal microsomes contained more lecithin and less total ethanolamine phospholipids and cardiolipin than mitochondria. The myofibrils had an intermediate phospholipid composition, but their cholesterol-phospholipid ratio was smaller than that of the other two fractions. Except for an increased percentage of phosphatidalethanolamine in the dystrophic mitochondria, only the composition of the dystrophic microsomes differed from normal by containing less lecithin but more total ethanolamine phospholipid, phosphatidalethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. No significant differences were found in the fatty acid composition of neutral lipid extracts from normal and dystrophic preparations, but there was a significant decrease in the percentage of 22:6 in phospholipids from both dystrophic whole muscle and microsomes (-25% and -37%, respectively), whereas the 20:4 content was unaltered. By contrast, the percentages of 18:0 and total fatty aldehyde increased significantly. Phospholipid extracts from all dystrophic samples showed a significant decrease in 16:0 and an increase in 18:1 as compared with the normal.     

Comparison of the protein-synthesizing machinery in the skeletal muscle of normal and dystrophic Bar Harbor mice

1. Although the total weight of leg muscle increased with the age of a normal mouse the DNA and RNA content per leg did not change significantly. 2. The weight of leg muscle from a dystrophic mouse was only about 45% of that from a normal mouse but the DNA and RNA contents were the same and hence similar DNA/RNA ratios were obtained. 3. The total ribosome contents of normal and dystrophic mice were the same on a whole-leg basis, and for both the free ribosomes were about 60% of the total. However, comparison with similar data from liver suggested that some loss of ribosomes occurred during the isolation procedure. 4. The polyribosome patterns obtained by density-gradient centrifugation were the same for normal and dystrophic muscle, and comparable polyribosome fractions of different sizes obtained from such gradients had similar capacities for the incorporation of radioactive amino acids in a standard protein-synthesizing system. 5. By using a standard protein-synthesizing system with normal polyribosomes similar extents of incorporation were found with normal- or dystrophic-muscle pH5 fraction or partially purified transfer RNA preparation. 6. It is concluded that there is no absolute difference between the protein-synthesizing systems of normal and dystrophic mouse muscle and that the observed apparent differences result from concentration differences caused by changes in muscle volume. 7. A possible cause of the failure of dystrophic muscle to resynthesize myofibrils is also suggested.     

Detection and isolation of a 30 kDa abnormal protein in avian dystrophic muscle

We have studied the protein composition of the pectoralis superficialis muscle of genetically dystrophic (New Hampshire line 413) and normal control (line 412) chickens by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A protein, referred to hereafter as the 30 kDa abnormal protein, was specifically detected in the affected muscle. It was purified to homogeneity, and its molecular properties were studied. It is a monomer with a molecular mass of approximately 30 kDa and an isoelectric point of about pI 8.4. We have screened by Western blotting a variety of muscles from line 412 and line 413 chickens for the presence of the 30 kDa protein. While the pattern of total protein is very similar in all cases, the 30 kDa protein was not detected in the pectoralis superficialis muscle of line 412 chickens. However, the immunoreactive bands were detected in the sartorius muscle and the tensor fasciae latae muscle from dystrophic and normal chickens. Interestingly, the immunoreactive bands of normal skeletal muscles are smaller in molecular weight than those of dystrophic skeletal muscles. To determine the early time sequence of the appearance of the abnormal protein, we studied muscles from embryos and post-hatched chickens at various ages. The abnormal protein was detected in dystrophic muscles as early as 15 days ex ovo and occurred throughout development up to six months ex ovo. Although the implication of the dystrophy-associated appearance of the 30 kDa protein in the affected muscle is not clear at present, it would be of particular interest to elucidate the biochemical functions of the 30 kDa protein in the affected muscle (pectoralis superficialis muscle) of genetically dystrophic chicken.     

Osteopontin ablation ameliorates muscular dystrophy by shifting macrophages to a pro-regenerative phenotype

In the degenerative disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy, inflammatory cells enter muscles in response to repetitive muscle damage. Immune factors are required for muscle regeneration, but chronic inflammation creates a profibrotic milieu that exacerbates disease progression. Osteopontin (OPN) is an immunomodulator highly expressed in dystrophic muscles. Ablation of OPN correlates with reduced fibrosis and improved muscle strength as well as reduced natural killer T (NKT) cell counts. Here, we demonstrate that the improved dystrophic phenotype observed with OPN ablation does not result from reductions in NKT cells. OPN ablation skews macrophage polarization toward a pro-regenerative phenotype by reducing M1 and M2a and increasing M2c subsets. These changes are associated with increased expression of pro-regenerative factors insulin-like growth factor 1, leukemia inhibitory factor, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator. Furthermore, altered macrophage polarization correlated with increases in muscle weight and muscle fiber diameter, resulting in long-term improvements in muscle strength and function in mdx mice. These findings suggest that OPN ablation promotes muscle repair via macrophage secretion of pro-myogenic growth factors.     

An effect of avian hereditary muscular dystrophy on the reaction of troponin-C with its antibody

Antibody prepared against troponin-C, the calcium binding component of the troponin complex, was reacted with I band segments, and the distribution of antibody binding was assessed by immuno-electron microscopy. The I segments were isolated from glycerinated pectoral muscle which was prepared from normal adult chickens and from dystrophic chickens of strain 308. The antibody was deposited at 384 Å ± 7 Å intervals along the thin filaments of the normal muscle. In contrast to the normal controls the dystrophic muscle did not exhibit a distinct periodicity when reacted with anti-troponin-C. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed that although protein bands corresponding to troponin-C could be observed in the gels of the dystrophic preparations, the troponin-C band had migrated slower than that from normal thin filaments. It is concluded that avian muscular dystrophy produces an alteration of the structure of troponin-C resulting in (1) an inability of the protein to combine with its specific antibody and (2) a change in its electrophoretic behavior.     

Micro-dystrophin cDNA ameliorates dystrophic phenotypes when introduced into mdx mice as a transgene

The adeno-associated virus vector is a good tool for gene transfer into skeletal muscle, but the length of a gene that can be incorporated is limited. To develop a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, we generated a series of rod-truncated micro-dystrophin cDNAs: M3 (one rod repeat, 3.9 kb), AX11 (three rod repeats, 4.4 kb), and CS1 (four rod repeats, 4.9 kb). These micro-dystrophins, driven by a CAG promoter, were used to produce transgenic (Tg) mdx mice and all three micro-dystrophins were shown to localize at the sarcolemma together with the expression of dystrophin-associated proteins. Among them, CS1 greatly improved dystrophic phenotypes of mdx mice and contractile force of the diaphragm in particular was restored to the level of normal C57BL/10 mice. AX11 modestly ameliorated the dystrophic pathology, but, importantly, M3-Tg mdx mice still showed severe dystrophic phenotypes. These data suggest that the rod structure, and its length in particular, is crucial for the function of micro-dystrophin.     

Localization of creatine kinase isoenzymes in myofibrils. II. Chicken heart muscle

Chicken heart muscle contains almost exclusively the BB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK), its myofibrils, moreover, lack an M-line. This tissue thus provides an interesting contrast to skeletal muscle, in which some of the MM-CK present as predominant CK isoenzyme is bound at the myofibrillar M-line. Approx. 2% of the total CK activity in a chicken heart homogenate remains bound to the myofibrillar fraction after repeated washing cycles; both the fraction and the absolute amount of CK bound are about threefold lower than in skeletal muscle. Almost all of the bound enzyme is located within the Z-line region of each sarcomere, as revealed by indirect fluorescent-antibody staining with antiserum against purified chicken BB-CK. After incubation with exogenous purified MM-CK, positive immunofluorescent staining for M- type CK at the H-region of heart myofibrils was observed, along with weaker fluorescence in the Z-line region. Chicken heart myofibrils may thus possess binding sites for both M and B forms of CK.     

Muscle adenylate kinase in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

On the basis of electrophoretic and enzyme inhibition studies it was postulated that an aberrant adenylate kinase occurs in muscle and serum of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Schirmer, R.H. and Thuma, E. (1972) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 268, 92-97; Hamada, M. et al. (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 660, 227-237; Hamada et al. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 11595-11602). On the basis of the following results we conclude that Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients do not possess an unusual adenylate kinase isoenzyme. In muscle biopsies from five Duchenne patients, the electrophoretic mobility of adenylate kinase and the inhibition of the enzyme by P1, P5-di(adenosine-5')pentaphosphate (Ap5A) was normal. Because of the high SH-group content of the extracts from Duchenne muscle, high concentrations of Ellman's reagent were needed to inhibit adenylate kinase activity in these samples. In Duchenne plasma the adenylate kinase activity was elevated. Like in muscle specimens, the DTNB inhibition curves were shifted to higher reagent concentrations; this was due to a high SH-group content of Duchenne plasma when compared with normal plasma. With respect to inhibition by Ap5A and electrophoretic mobility, Duchenne adenylate kinase in Duchenne plasma behaved like normal muscle adenylate kinase in normal plasma. It was noted that normal muscle adenylate kinase changes its electrophoretic behaviour when mixed with normal or Duchenne plasma. This finding had been considered previously as evidence for the presence of an aberrant adenylate kinase in Duchenne plasma.     

Synthesis of apolipoprotein A1 in skeletal muscles of normal and dystrophic chickens

We recently observed that, around the time of hatching, chick skeletal muscles synthesize and secrete apolipoprotein A1 (apo-A1) at high rates and that reinitiation of synthesis of this serum protein to high levels occurs in mature chicken breast muscle following surgical denervation (Shackelford, J. E., and Lebherz, H. G. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 7175-7180; 14829-14833). In the present work we investigate the effect of avian muscular dystrophy on the synthesis of apo-A1 in chicken muscles. The relative rate of synthesis of apo-A1 and levels of apo-A1 RNA in mature dystrophic breast (fast-twitch) muscle were about 6-fold higher than normal, while synthesis of apo-A1 in breast muscles derived from 2-day-old dystrophic chicks was close to normal. These observations suggest that the elevated apo-A1 synthetic rate in mature dystrophic breast muscle results from a failure of the diseased tissue to "shut down" apo-A1 synthesis to the normal level during postembryonic maturation. Apo-A1 synthesis in the "slow-twitch" lateral adductor muscle of dystrophic chickens was found to be normal. Our work is discussed in terms of the apparent similarities between the effects of surgical denervation and muscular dystrophy on the protein synthetic programs expressed by chicken skeletal muscles.     

Timing and sequence of the events in the development of extraocular muscles in staged human embryos: ultrastructural and histochemical study.

The ultrastructure and the appearance of glycogen were studied in the extraocular muscles of 14 externally normal human embryos (Carnegie stages 13-21). At stage 16, myofibrils with an immature Z line and glycogen granules appeared in the cytoplasm of the myoblast. The myoblasts came into cluster at stage 18, and fusion between the myotubes was observed at stage 20. At this stage, an M line appeared in the myofibrils. At stage 21, an A band with a Z line and an H band with an M line were observed, the sarcoplasmic reticulum appeared in the cytoplasm of the muscle fibers and glycogen increased in volume in the cytoplasm. In the previous study, we showed that the muscle-specific isoenzymes, such as creatine kinase, beta-enolase and glycogen phosphorylase, appeared from stage 18 to 20 in the extraocular muscles. The previous findings and the present results suggest that the fusion of the muscle cells occurs in the period when some molecular markers of muscle differentiation are expressed in vivo.     

Localization of creatine kinase isoenzymes in myofibrils. I. Chicken skeletal muscle

Purified, repeatedly washed, skeletal muscle myofibrils contain approx. 0.2 U of creatine kinase (CK) activity (equivalent to 2.5 micrograms CK) per milligram dry weight; this firmly bound CK activity is estimated to represent 3-5% of the total cellular CK. It had been shown previously that the myofibrillar CK, which can be quantitatively extracted at low ionic strength and purified to homogeneity, is very similar, if not identical, to the bulk MM-CK. It is shown that the two protein preparations also have the same peptide pattern after cyanogen bromide fractionation and very similar specific activities, confirming their identity. The earlier demonstration that the bound CK is specifically located at the M-lines of isolated myofibrils has been confirmed by immunofluorescence. Antibodies directed against purified MM- and BB-CK were used in the indirect fluorescent antibody technique to study the specificity of myofibril binding sites for different forms of CK. With myofibrils from adult muscle, which has only MM-CK, as well as from early developmental stages in which BB-CK is the predominant isoenzyme, M-type CK was localized exclusively at the M-line, while greater or lesser amounts of B-type CK were found at the Z-line. The data provide strong evidence that the MM-CK at the M-lines in skeletal myofibrils is not adventitiously bound but is rather an integral element in the M-line structure. The amount of CK bound is reasonably consistent with the earlier proposal that the CK molecules might be the transverse M-bridges and appears to be sufficient to regenerate all of the ATP hydrolyzed during muscle contraction.     

Natural killer cell activity in murine muscular dystrophy. III. NK-sensitive myoblast cells and lack of NK activity in beige/dystrophic hybrid mice

The NK-susceptibility of dystrophic mouse myoblast cells was investigated. Spleen cells from 8- to 10-week-old normal (+/+) and dystrophic (dy2J/dy2J) male C57BL/6J mice were fractionated on Percoll density gradients and the cells at each density interface were incubated with either 51Cr-labeled YAC-1 or myoblast cells in a 6 hr 51Cr-release assay. Myoblast target cells were obtained from either heterozygous (+/dy2J) or homozygous (dy2J/dy2J) muscle cultures or a transformed tetraploid myoblast line (M14D2). The data indicate that the interface between the 50 and 60% (1.060-1.075 g/ml) Percoll density fractions of spleen cells from either normal or dystrophic mice contains the largest proportion of asialo GM-1 positive and NK-1 positive cells displaying NK activity. Myoblast cells from either heterozygous (phenotypically normal) or homozygous dystrophic mice were not significantly different in susceptibility to NK-mediated lysis by Percoll enriched normal or dystrophic mouse NK cells. However, dystrophic mouse spleen cells had the highest NK activity against both myoblast targets as compared with normal mouse spleen cells. The transformed myoblast cell line, M14D2, was significantly less susceptible to NK-mediated lysis by dystrophic mouse spleen cells when compared with freshly cultured myoblast target cells. Target cell binding studies revealed that conjugate forming cells from the 50% Percoll density interface of dystrophic mouse spleen cells were approximately twofold greater than that of normal mouse spleen cells against either heterozygous or homozygous dystrophic mouse myoblast targets. Cold target inhibition studies revealed that the natural killing of dystrophic mouse myoblast cells was due to a YAC-1 reactive NK cell. Breeding experiments between C57BL/6J homozygous "beige" (bgJ/bgJ) mutant mice and dystrophic (dy2J/dy2J) mice produced beige/dystrophic hybrid mice which displayed clinical symptoms of the dystrophy process by 3 to 4 weeks of age. Spleen cells from these hybrid mice showed no significant differences in NK activity against YAC-1 target cells when compared with homozygous beige mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate the first reported evidence that murine myoblasts are susceptible to NK-mediated lysis. In addition, the data indicate that although dystrophic mouse NK cells recognize myoblast cells as targets, the NK cell studies with the beige/dystrophic hybrid mice do not indicate a direct in vivo role for NK cells in the dystrophy process.     

Multiple acid phosphatases in avian pectoral muscle--the postmicrosomal supernatant acid phosphatase is elevated in avian dystrophic muscle

There are at least three forms of acid phosphatase in avian pectoralis muscle differing in molecular weight, subcellular location, and response to various substrates and inhibitors. These enzymes are separated by differential sedimentation into postmicrosomal supernatant, lysosomal, and microsomal activities with apparent molecular weights in Triton X-100 of 68,000, 198,000, and 365,000, respectively. All of the enzymes show acid pH optima (pH approximately 5), but the postmicrosomal supernatant form is distinctly different from the other two forms in its resistance to most common phosphatase inhibitors and in its reduced activity against several organic phosphates. Quantitation of these three forms of acid phosphatase in normal and dystrophic avian pectoralis muscle shows that the postmicrosomal supernatant form is significantly elevated in dystrophic muscle; at 33 days ex ovo, 84% of the increased acid phosphatase activity in dystrophic muscle can be attributed to the postmicrosomal supernatant form. The microsomal form is only slightly elevated; the level of the lysosomal form is not altered.     

Analyzing the functional properties of the creatine kinase system with multiscale 'sloppy' modeling

In this study the function of the two isoforms of creatine kinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2) in myocardium is investigated. The 'phosphocreatine shuttle' hypothesis states that mitochondrial and cytosolic CK plays a pivotal role in the transport of high-energy phosphate (HEP) groups from mitochondria to myofibrils in contracting muscle. Temporal buffering of changes in ATP and ADP is another potential role of CK. With a mathematical model, we analyzed energy transport and damping of high peaks of ATP hydrolysis during the cardiac cycle. The analysis was based on multiscale data measured at the level of isolated enzymes, isolated mitochondria and on dynamic response times of oxidative phosphorylation measured at the whole heart level. Using 'sloppy modeling' ensemble simulations, we derived confidence intervals for predictions of the contributions by phosphocreatine (PCr) and ATP to the transfer of HEP from mitochondria to sites of ATP hydrolysis. Our calculations indicate that only 15±8% (mean±SD) of transcytosolic energy transport is carried by PCr, contradicting the PCr shuttle hypothesis. We also predicted temporal buffering capabilities of the CK isoforms protecting against high peaks of ATP hydrolysis (3750 μM*s(-1)) in myofibrils. CK inhibition by 98% in silico leads to an increase in amplitude of mitochondrial ATP synthesis pulsation from 215±23 to 566±31 μM*s(-1), while amplitudes of oscillations in cytosolic ADP concentration double from 77±11 to 146±1 μM. Our findings indicate that CK acts as a large bandwidth high-capacity temporal energy buffer maintaining cellular ATP homeostasis and reducing oscillations in mitochondrial metabolism. However, the contribution of CK to the transport of high-energy phosphate groups appears limited. Mitochondrial CK activity lowers cytosolic inorganic phosphate levels while cytosolic CK has the opposite effect.