Effect of thyroid hormone on the myosin heavy chain isoforms in slow and fast muscles of the rat

The myosin heavy chain (MHC) was studied by biochemical methods in the slow-twitch (soleus) and two fast-twitch leg muscles of the triiodothyronine treated (hyperthyroid), thyroidectomized (hypothyroid) and euthyroid (control) rats. The changes in the contents of individual MHC isoforms(MHC-1, MHC-2A, MHC-2B and MHC-2X) were evaluated in relation to the muscle mass and the total MHC content. The MHC-1 content decreased in hyperthyreosis, while it increased in hypothyreosis in the soleus and in the fast muscles. The MHC-2A content increased in hyperthyreosis and it decreased in hypothyreosis in the soleus muscle. In the fast muscles hyperthyreosis did not affect the MHC-2A content, whereas hypothyreosis caused an increase in this MHC isoform content. The MHC-2X, present only in traces or undetected in the control soleus muscle, was synthesised in considerable amount in hyperthyreosis; in hypothyreosis the MHC-2X was not detected in the soleus. In the fast muscles the content of MHC-2X was not affected by any changes in the thyroid hormone level. The MHC-2B seemed to be not influenced by hyperthyreosis in the fast muscles, whereas the hypothyreosis caused a decrease of its content. In the soleus muscle the MHC-2B was not detected in any groups of rats. The results suggest that the amount of each of the four MHC isoforms expressed in the mature rat leg muscles is influenced by the thyroid hormone in a different way. The MHC-2A and the MHC-2X are differently regulated in the soleus and in the fast muscles; thyroid hormone seems to be necessary for expression of those isoforms in the soleus muscle.     

Innervation of free muscle grafts in the rat in the absence of mechanical trauma to surrounding muscles or nerves.

Soleus muscles in the rat were freely grafted alongside a normal soleus muscle in the absence of mechanical trauma to any of the surrounding muscles or motor nerves. The object of this experiment was to determine whether or not the muscle grafts would become reinnervated under these circumstances. Contractile and histochemical properties of the grafts were compared with those of the contralateral denervated soleus as well as normal muscles. Innervation of the grafts did occur, and it was concluded that the innervation of the grafts arose primarily from sprouts from nerves supplying neighboring muscles. The grafts were studied with specific nerve stains, histochemical techniques and by analysis of their contractile properties.     

Differential adaptations during growth spurt and in young adult rat muscles

During the post-weaning growth and maturation period (25/90 days after birth), rat limb muscles are submitted to specific adaptations. Our aim was to characterize the mechanical properties of two muscles that are opposite in terms of fibre-type distribution, the soleus and the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of male Wistar rats. Results showed a fast-to-slow fibre-type transition in soleus while no modification in fibre-type distribution was observed in EDL. A growth-induced increase in muscle force was observed. Soleus underwent an increase in twitch kinetics, but EDL showed no modification. Resistance to fatigue was higher in 90-day-old soleus but not modified in the EDL. Surprisingly, analysis of maximal shortening velocity showed a decrease in both soleus and EDL. Finally, tension/extension curves indicated a growth-induced increase in series elastic stiffness in the two muscles. These results suggest that during this growth period, skeletal muscles are submitted to differential adaptations. Moreover, whereas adaptation of biomechanical properties observed can be explained partly by an adaptation of fibre profile in soleus, this is not the case for EDL. It is suggested that changes in muscle architecture, which are often disregarded, could explain some variations in mechanical properties, especially when muscles undergo an increase in both mass and length.     

Effects on Contralateral Muscles after Unilateral Electrical Muscle Stimulation and Exercise

It is well established that unilateral exercise can produce contralateral effects. However, it is unclear whether unilateral exercise that leads to muscle injury and inflammation also affects the homologous contralateral muscles. To test the hypothesis that unilateral muscle injury causes contralateral muscle changes, an experimental rabbit model with unilateral muscle overuse caused by a combination of electrical muscle stimulation and exercise (EMS/E) was used. The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of both exercised and non-exercised legs were analyzed with enzyme- and immunohistochemical methods after 1, 3 and 6 weeks of repeated EMS/E. After 1 w of unilateral EMS/E there were structural muscle changes such as increased variability in fiber size, fiber splitting, internal myonuclei, necrotic fibers, expression of developmental MyHCs, fibrosis and inflammation in the exercised soleus muscle. Only limited changes were found in the exercised gastrocnemius muscle and in both non-exercised contralateral muscles. After 3 w of EMS/E, muscle fiber changes, presence of developmental MyHCs, inflammation, fibrosis and affections of nerve axons and AChE production were observed bilaterally in both the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. At 6 w of EMS/E, the severity of these changes significantly increased in the soleus muscles and infiltration of fat was observed bilaterally in both the soleus and the gastrocnemius muscles. The affections of the muscles were in all three experimental groups restricted to focal regions of the muscle samples. We conclude that repetitive unilateral muscle overuse caused by EMS/E overtime leads to both degenerative and regenerative tissue changes and myositis not only in the exercised muscles, but also in the homologous non-exercised muscles of the contralateral leg. Although the mechanism behind the contralateral changes is unclear, we suggest that the nervous system is involved in the cross-transfer effects.     

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition attenuates myonuclear addition in overloaded slow-twitch skeletal muscle

Because optimal overload-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy requires ANG II, we aimed to determine the effects of blocking ANG II production [via angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition] on potential mediators of hypertrophy in overloaded skeletal muscle, namely, myonuclear addition and fibroblast content. In a 2 x 2 design, adult (200-225 g) female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed into one of four groups (n = 8/group): 7-day skeletal muscle overload, sham operation, 7-day skeletal muscle overload with ACE inhibition, or sham operation with ACE inhibition. Functional overloads of the plantaris and soleus muscles were produced via bilateral surgical ablation of the synergistic gastrocnemius muscle, and ACE inhibition was accomplished by the addition of the ACE inhibitor enalapril maleate to the animals' daily drinking water (0.3 mg/ml). Myonuclear addition and extrasarcolemmal nuclear proliferation, as measured by in vivo 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeling, were significantly (P < or = 0.05) increased by overload in both the slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch plantaris muscles. Furthermore, ACE inhibition attenuated these overload-induced increases in the soleus muscle but not in the plantaris muscle. However, the effect of ACE inhibition on soleus extrasarcolemmal nuclei was not likely due to differences in fibroblast content because overload elicited significant increases in vimentin-positive areas in soleus and plantaris muscles, and these areas were unaffected by ACE inhibition in either muscle. There was no effect of ACE inhibition on any measure in sham-operated muscles. Collectively, these data indicate that ANG II may mediate the satellite cell response to overload in slow-twitch soleus but not in fast-twitch plantaris muscles and that this effect may occur independently of changes in fibroblast content.     

Pre- and post-natal growth and protein turnover in smooth muscle, heart and slow- and fast-twitch skeletal muscles of the rat.

The growth of one smooth and three individual striated muscles was studied from birth to old age (105 weeks), and where possible during the later stages of foetal life also. Developmental changes in protein turnover (measured in vivo) were related to the changing patterns of growth within each muscle, and the body as a whole. Developmental growth (i.e. protein accumulation) in all muscles involved an increasing proportion of protein per unit wet weight, as well as cellular hypertrophy. The contribution of the heart towards whole-body protein and nucleic acid contents progressively decreased from 18 days of gestation to senility. In contrast, post-natal changes in both slow-twitch (soleus) and fast-twitch (tibialis anterior) skeletal muscles remained reasonably constant with respect to whole-body values. Such age-related growth in all four muscle types was accompanied by a progressive decline in both the fractional rates of protein synthesis and breakdown, the changes in synthesis being more pronounced. Age for age, the fractional rates of synthesis were highest in the oesophageal smooth muscle, similar in both cardiac and the slow-twitch muscles, and lowest in the fast-twitch tibialis muscle. Despite these differences, the developmental fall in synthetic rates was remarkably similar in all four muscles, e.g. the rates at 105 weeks were 30-35% of their values at weaning. Such developmental changes in synthesis were largely related to diminishing ribosomal capacities within each muscle. When measured under near-steady-state conditions (i.e. 105 weeks of age), the half-lives of mixed muscle proteins were 5.1, 10.4, 12.1 and 18.3 days for the smooth, cardiac, soleus and tibialis muscles respectively. Old-age atrophy was evident in the senile animals, this being more marked in each of the four muscle types than in the animal as a whole. In each muscle of the senile rats the protein content and composition per unit wet weight, and both the fractional and total rates of synthesis, were significantly lower than in the muscles of younger, mature, animals (i.e. 44 weeks). In the soleus the decreased synthesis rate appeared to be related to a further fall in the ribosomal capacity. In contrast, the changes in synthesis in the three remaining muscles correlated with significant decreases in the synthetic rate per ribosome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Biochemical adaptation in the skeletal muscle of rats depleted of creatine with the substrate analogue beta-guanidinopropionic acid.

Rats were fed on a diet containing 1% beta-guanidinopropionic acid (GPA), a creatine substrate analogue, for 6-10 weeks to deplete their muscle of creatine. This manipulation was previously shown to give a 90% decrease in [phosphocreatine] in skeletal and cardiac muscle and a 50% decrease in [ATP] in skeletal muscle only. Maximal activities of creatine kinase and of representative enzymes of aerobic and anaerobic energy metabolism were measured in the superficial white, medial and deep red portions of the gastrocnemius muscle, in the soleus and plantaris muscle and in the heart. Fast-twitch muscles were smaller in GPA-fed animals than in controls, but the size of the soleus muscle was unchanged. The activities of aerobic enzymes increased by 30-40% in all fast-twitch muscle regions except the superficial gastrocnemius, but were unchanged in the soleus muscle. The activities of creatine kinase and phosphofructokinase decreased by 20-50% in all skeletal-muscle regions except the deep gastrocnemius, and the activity of glycogen phosphorylase generally paralleled these changes. There were no significant changes in the activities of any of the enzymes measured in the heart. The glycogen content of the gastrocnemius-plantaris complex was increased by 185% in GPA-fed rats. The proportion of Type I fibres in the soleus muscle increased from 81% in control rats to 100% in GPA-fed rats, consistent with a previous report of altered isometric twitch characteristics and a decrease in the maximum velocity of shortening in this muscle [Petrofsky & Fitch (1980) Pflugers Arch. 384, 123-129]. We conclude that fast-twitch muscles adapt by a combination of decreasing diffusion distances, increasing aerobic capacity and decreasing glycolytic potential. Slow-twitch muscles decrease glycolytic potential and become slower, thus decreasing energy demand. These results suggest that persistent changes in the [phosphocreatine] and [ATP] are alone sufficient to alter the expression of enzyme proteins and proteins of the contractile apparatus, and that fibre-type-specific thresholds exist for the transformation response.     

Adaptations in skeletal muscle capillarity following changes in oxygen supply and changes in oxygen demands.

The effects of changes in oxygen supply and oxygen demands on fiber cross-sectional areas, capillary densities and capillary to fiber ratios were determined in three skeletal muscles of rat. The muscles examined were the vastus lateralis, soleus, and diaphragm. Reduced oxygen supply was produced by subjecting rats to ambient hypoxia, and increased oxygen demands were produced by subjecting rats to low ambient temperatures or treatment with thyroxin. Capillaries were visualized by injecting fluorescent dyes into the circulation. Muscles were quick frozen at resting lengths to preserve normal fiber geometry and were subsequently sectioned on a cryostat. All of the muscles sampled from animals in the experimental groups had elevated capillary densities. However, capillary to fiber ratios were not increased significantly in any muscle, for any experimental condition. Thus, all of the observed differences in capillarity were due to changes in the intrinsic rate of muscle fiber growth. Further, the relations of capillary density and capillary to fiber ratio to fiber area were the same as those obtained during normal maturation, suggesting that capillary growth is closely linked to the intrinsic rate of fiber growth.     

Unlike effects of denervation on the rate of entry of inorganic phosphate into rat slow and fast muscles.

The increased inorganic phosphate flow, characteristic of denervated gastrocnemius muscle is shown to be present in additional denervated fast muscles, i.e. the plantaris, tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles. The response of the soleus, a slow muscle, to denervation is biphasic. After an initial decrease of the phosphate flow at the end of the first postoperative day, there is a secondary rise which has the same general characteristics as the rise observed in fast muscles i.e. an exponential or hyperbolic increase to an asymptotic value reached after thirty days. The denervated fast and slow muscles are not converging to an intermediate metabolic pattern. The changes in phosphate flow induced by denervation are reversible in the soleus as well as in the gastrocnemius muscles.     

Effects of modulators of sarcoplasmic Ca2+ release on the development of skeletal muscle fatigue.

The reduced release of Ca2+ from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is considered a major determinant of muscle fatigue. In the present study, we investigated whether the presence of dantrolene, an established inhibitor of SR Ca2+ release, or caffeine, a drug facilitating SR Ca2+ release, modifies muscle fatigue development. Accordingly, the effects of Ca2+ release modulators were analyzed in vitro in mouse fast-twitch [extensor digitorum longus (EDL)] and slow-twitch (soleus) muscles, fatigued by repeated short tetani (40 Hz for 300 ms, 0.5 s(-1) in soleus and 60 Hz for 300 ms, 0.3 s(-1) in EDL, for 6 min). Caffeine produced a substantial increase of tetanic tension of both EDL and soleus muscles, whereas dantrolene decreased tetanic tension only in EDL muscle. In both EDL and soleus muscles, 5 microM dantrolene did not affect fatigue development, whereas 20 microM dantrolene produced a positive staircase during the first 3 min of stimulation in EDL muscle and a slowing of fatigue development in soleus muscle. The development of the positive staircase was abolished by the addition of 15 microM ML-7, a selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase. On the other hand, caffeine caused a larger and faster loss of tension in both EDL and soleus muscles. The results seem to indicate that the changes in fatigue profile induced by caffeine or dantrolene are mainly due to the changes in the initial tetanic tension caused by the drugs, with the resulting changes in the level of contraction-dependent factors of fatigue, rather than to changes in the SR Ca2+ release during fatigue development.     

Regulation of skeletal muscle dihydropyridine receptor gene expression by biomechanical unloading.

Biomechanical unloading of the rat soleus by hindlimb unweighting is known to induce atrophy and a slow- to fast-twitch transition of skeletal muscle contractile properties, particularly in slow-twitch muscles such as the soleus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the expression of the dihydropyridine (DHP) receptor gene is upregulated in unloaded slow-twitch soleus muscles. A rat DHP receptor cDNA was isolated by screening a random-primed cDNA lambda gt10 library from denervated rat skeletal muscle with oligonucleotide probes complementary to the coding region of the rabbit DHP receptor cDNA. Muscle mass and DHP receptor mRNA expression were assessed 1, 4, 7, 14, and 28 days after hindlimb unweighting in rats by tail suspension. Isometric twitch contraction times of soleus muscles were measured at 28 days of unweighting. Northern blot analysis showed that tissue distribution of DHP receptor mRNA was specific for skeletal muscle and expression was 200% greater in control fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) than in control soleus muscles. A significant stimulation (80%) in receptor message of the soleus was induced as early as 24 h of unloading without changes in muscle mass. Unloading for 28 days induced marked atrophy (control = 133 +/- 3 vs. unweighted = 62.4 +/- 1.8 mg), and expression of the DHP receptor mRNA in the soleus was indistinguishable from levels normally expressed in EDL muscles. These changes in mRNA expression are in the same direction as the 37% reduction in time to peak tension and 28% decrease in half-relaxation time 28 days after unweighting. Our results suggest that muscle loading necessary for weight support modulates the expression of the DHP receptor gene in the soleus muscle.     

Effect of endurance training on the phospholipid content of skeletal muscles in the rat

Only few data are available on the effect of training on phospholipid metabolism in skeletal muscles. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of 6 weeks of endurance training on the content of particular phospholipid fractions and on the incorporation of blood-borne [14C]-palmitic acid into the phospholipids in different skeletal muscles (white and red sections of the gastrocnemius, the soleus and the diaphragm) of the rat. Lipids were extracted from the muscles and separated using thin-layer chromatography into the following fractions: sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, cardiolipin and neutral lipids (this fraction being composed mostly of triacylglycerols). It was found that training did not affect the content of any phospholipid fraction in soleus muscle. It increased the content of sphingomyelin in white gastrocnemius muscle, cardiolipin and phosphatidylethanolamine in red gastrocnemius muscle and phosphatidylinositol in white gastrocnemius muscle and diaphragm. The total phospholipid content in red gastrocnemius muscle of the trained group was higher than in the control group. Training reduced the specific activity of sphingomyelin and cardiolipin in all muscles, phosphatidylcholine in soleus, red, and white gastrocnemius muscles, phosphatidylserine in all muscles, phosphatidylinositol in all except the soleus muscle, and phosphatidylethanolamine in hindleg muscles, but not in the diaphragm compared to the corresponding values in the sedentary group. It was concluded that endurance training affects skeletal muscle phospholipid content and the rate of incorporation of the blood-borne [14C]palmitic acid into the phospholipid moieties.     

Histochemical fiber type distribution and epinephrine sensitivity in normal and cross-transplanted rat muscles

The metabolic integrity of fully regenerated transplants was investigated by measuring induced changes in glycogen concentration. The extensor digitorum longus and the soleus muscles were cross transplanted: the extensor digitorum longus into the soleus muscle bed (SOLT) and the soleus muscle into the extensor digitorum longus bed (EDLT). The histochemical fiber type distribution of the regenerated muscles was determined and was found to transform in cross-transplanted EDLT and SOLT. After transplantation and regeneration, both muscles had initially low glycogen concentrations. However, the EDLT glycogen concentration was not significantly different from that of the contralateral extensor digitorum longus control muscle after 60 days. In the SOLT, glycogen gradually increased but remained less than in the contralateral soleus control muscle. SOLT and control soleus muscles responded with a significant glycogen depletion to an epinephrine dose two orders of magnitude less than the lowest dose affecting glycogen levels in EDLT and extensor digitorum longus muscles. These results indicate that transplanted muscles are capable of regenerating normal glycogenolytic responses and that the sensitivity of the response observed depends on the site of transplantation and is related to the type of innervation and histochemical fiber type.     

Calcineurin differentially regulates maintenance and growth of phenotypically distinct muscles

Adequate muscle mass is critical for human health. The molecular pathways regulating maintenance and growth of adult skeletal muscle are little understood. Calcineurin (CN) is implicated as a key signaling molecule in hypertrophy. Whether CN is involved in all forms of muscle growth or in different muscles is unknown. Here, we examine the role of CN in regulating maintenance of muscle size and growth of atrophied muscle in the soleus (slow) and plantaris (fast). The CN inhibitor cyclosporin A (CsA) differentially affects muscle growth and maintenance depending on muscle phenotype. The plantaris is more severely affected by CsA than the soleus in both growth conditions. One-week vs. 2-wk CsA treatment suggests that both CN-dependent and CN-independent growth occur in the atrophied soleus, whereas plantaris growth appears to be totally CN dependent. Our results suggest that CN regulates multiple types of muscle growth, depending both on muscle phenotype and stage of myofiber growth. Differential expression of components of the CN pathway occurs and may contribute to the differences between muscles.     

Leukemia inhibitory factor restores the hypertrophic response to increased loading in the LIF(-/-) mouse

Cytokines and growth factors are thought to contribute to skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a cytokine, enhances skeletal muscle regeneration; however the role of LIF in skeletal muscle hypertrophy remains uncertain. We examined the hypertrophic ability of the plantaris and soleus muscles in wild-type mice (WT) and LIF knock-out mice [LIF(-/-)] in response to increased mechanical load. Using the functional overload model to induce increases in mechanical load on the plantaris and soleus muscle, WT mice demonstrated increases in plantaris and soleus mass after 7, 21, and 42 days of loading. However, the LIF(-/-) mice had no significant increases in plantaris muscle mass at any time point, while the soleus muscle exhibited a delayed hypertrophic response. Systemic delivery of LIF to the LIF(-/-) mice returned the hypertrophic response to the same levels as the WT mice after 21 days of functional overload. These data demonstrate for the first time that LIF expression in loaded skeletal muscle is critical for the development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy in the functional overload model.     

Skeletal muscle IGF-binding protein-3 and -5 expressions are age,muscle, and load dependent

The purpose of the current study was to examine IGFBP-3, -4, and -5 mRNA and protein expression levels as a function of muscle type, age, and regrowth from an immobilization-induced atrophy in Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats. IGFBP-3 mRNA expression in the 4-mo-old animals was significantly higher in the red and white portions of the gastrocnemius muscle compared with the soleus muscle. However, there were no significant differences in IGFBP-3 mRNA expression among any of the muscle groups in the 30-mo-old animals. There were no significant differences in IGFBP-5 mRNA expression in any of the muscle groups, whereas in the 30-mo-old animals there was significantly less IGFBP-5 mRNA expression in the white gastrocnemius compared with the red gastrocnemius muscles. Although IGFBP-3 and -5 proteins were detected in the type I soleus muscle with Western blot analyses, no detection was observed in the type II red and white portions of the gastrocnemius muscle. Aging from adult (18 mo) to old animals (30 mo) was associated with decreases in IGFBP-3 mRNA and protein and IGFBP-5 protein only in the soleus muscle. After 10 days of recovery from 10 days of hindlimb immobilization, IGFBP-3 mRNA and protein increased in soleus muscles from young (4-mo) rats; however, only IGFBP-3 protein increased in the old (30-mo) rats. Whereas there were no changes in IGFBP-5 mRNA expression during recovery, IGFBP-5 protein in the 10-day-recovery soleus muscle did increase in the young, but not in the old, rats. Because one of the functions of IGFBPs is to modulate IGF-I action on muscle size and phenotype, it is hypothesized that IGFBP-3 and -5 proteins may have potential modulatory roles in type I fiber-dominated muscles, aging, and regrowth from atrophy.     

Effect of long-term arterial hypotension on the relative volume of functioning capillaries in working skeletal muscles

In control rats, the relative red cell volume, mirroring the number of the functioning capillaries, was substantially greater in the soleus than in the gastrocnemius muscle, while the rise of this parameter seen during contraction of both the muscles, provoked by stimulation of the sciatic nerve, amounted to 37 and 54%, respectively. Fourteen days and 3-4 months after abdominal aorta constriction by a metal spiral, that produced a 30-50% lowering of the blood pressure in the vessels of the animal's body posterior, contractions of the gastrocnemius muscle did not provoke any increase in the relative red cell volume, whereas contractions of the soleus muscle were accompanied by a marked elevation of the relative red cell volume. It is assumed that the mechanisms underlying the working hyperemia of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are different.     

Ultrastructure of skeletal muscle fibers in monkeys after space flight

It is known that exposure of humans and animals to microgravity causes reduction in the cross-sected area of muscle fibers and muscle atrophy. These changes also involve ultrastructural alterations in muscle fibers. Therefore primates, that are physiologically close to humans, are to be examined to help a better understanding of the nature of these ultrastructural changes is muscles and muscle fibers. Although failed to find any relevant published data on the quantitative aspects of ultrastructural changes in muscle fibers of space-flown primates we believe that it is important to examine these aspects. The postflight study of monkey's m. soleus, and m. vastus lateralis did not reveal any significant changes in volume density of the myofibrillar apparatus. Mitochondria of m. soleus showed a distinct reduction in volume density, being more obvious in the subsarcolemmal zone than in the central one. Mitochondria of m. vastus lateralis showed a decrease (P > 0.05) in volume density. Following the flight, m. soleus and m. vastus lateralis of the monkeys showed a significant increase in the mean area of myofibrils, and a trend towards a decrease in the number of myofibrils per 100 micron 2. Besides, m. soleus showed a significant increase in the mean area of mitochondria, and a trend towards a decrease in the number of mitochondria per 100 micron 2. In m. vastus lateralis of the monkeys after space flight the number opf mitochondria tended to decrease and the mean area showed differential changes. It can be postulated that these phenomena may be associated with a reduction in the diffusion surface of mitochondria resulting from the diminished myofibrillar volume.     

Myofascial force transmission between the human soleus and gastrocnemius muscles during passive knee motion

The plantarflexors of the lower limb are often assumed to act as independent actuators, but the validity of this assumption is the subject of considerable debate. This study aims to determine the degree to which passive changes in gastrocnemius muscle length, induced by knee motion, affect the tension in the adjacent soleus muscle. A second aim is to quantify the magnitude of myofascial passive force transmission between gastrocnemius and adjacent soleus. Fifteen healthy volunteers participated. Simultaneous ultrasound images of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were obtained during passive knee flexion (0-90°), while keeping the ankle angle fixed at either 70° or 115°. Image correlation analysis was used to quantify muscle fascicle lengths in both muscles. The data show that the soleus muscle fascicles elongate significantly during gastrocnemius shortening. The approximate change in passive soleus force as a result of the observed change in fascicle length was estimated and appears to be <5 N, but this estimate is sensitive to the assumed slack length of soleus.     

Biochemical and histochemical changes in energy supply enzyme pattern of muscles of the rat during old age.

Senile muscles of the rat (28-36 months) show loss of overall activity of glycolytic and aerobic enzymes. However, there is a differential loss and shift of enzyme activity pattern in the three types of muscles. The extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and diaphragm show a decrease of ratios of glycolytic to aerobic-oxidative enzymes. This shift to a more oxidative type of metabolism is not observed in the soleus muscle. Decrease of enzyme activities is least marked in the diaphragm muscle. Biochemical analysis shows a trend to levelling out of metabolic differences between the different muscle types. This trend of 'dedifferentiation' is most marked when comparing EDL and soleus, least marked when comparing EDL and diaphragm muscle. The histochemical analysis shows a shift from the original mixed to a more uniform pattern of muscle fibres in the EDL and soleus muscle; this levelling-out of differences between enzymatic activities of different muscle fibres is not observed in the diaphragm muscle. Preferential atrophy and loss of ATPase activity in II muscle fibres in the soleus muscle and the occurrence of 'type grouping' are further characteristic features of senile muscle change. The findings show general (i.e. loss of enzyme activities) and differential trends of biochemical and histochemical enzyme changes in different types of muscles.