The determination of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in normal human muscle and other tissues

1. A technique has been developed, based on preferential inhibition by urea, for determining the amounts and proportions of the M and H sub-units of lactate dehydrogenase (referred to as LDH-M and LDH-H respectively) in human tissues, including muscle. 2. There was good agreement between the results obtained with urea inhibition and those obtained with starch-gel electrophoresis. 3. With increasing age there was a significant decrease in the total amount of lactate dehydrogenase and the amount of LDH-M in skeletal muscle. This could not be accounted for by the replacement of functioning muscle tissue by fibrous connective tissue. 4. The proportion of LDH-M was less in certain muscles (e.g. soleus and extra-ocular) than in other muscles (e.g. gastrocnemius and rectus abdominis). 5. The proportions of LDH-M and LDH-H did not differ significantly in different superficial limb muscles and were not significantly affected by either age or sex. 6. Specimens of muscle from 86 different individuals (all Europeans) have been subjected to electrophoresis, but no variants of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes have been found.     

Histochemical properties of skeletal muscle fibers in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Summary The response of rat gastrocnemius muscle fibers to chronic streptozotocin-diabetes was studied. Transverse sections of this muscle from normal and diabetic rats were histochemically assayed for reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide-diaphorase, myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase, mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. Cross-sectional areas of the fiber types were measured, and fiber capillarization and populations estimated. Chemically-induced diabetes appeared to have little effect on the metabolic or morphological properties of slow-twitch fibers. However, a general dedifferentiation occurred in the 2 fast-twitch fiber populations. There was a loss of oxidative potential in the fast-twitch-oxidative-glycolytic fibers, and a significant decrease in size in the fast-twitch-glycolytic fibers. No change in the proportions of slow- and fast-twitch fibers in the muscles of diabetic rats occurred. It is concluded that hypoinsulinism has differential effects on the 3 fiber types in heterogeneous rat skeletal muscle, and that slow-twitch fibers are least affected by the diabetic condition.     

Interaction of lactate dehydrogenase with skeletal muscle troponin

Rabbit muscle troponin complex covalently bound to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B was shown to interact with soluble lactate dehydrogenase with a stoichiometry of 2 mol lactate dehydrogenase/mol of troponin. The presence of Ca2+ influenced the strength of association (the KD values of 0.73 and 2.3 microM were determined in the presence of 200 microM EGTA or 100 microM Ca2+, respectively). In the absence of Ca2+, the affinity of lactate dehydrogenase to troponin was strongly pH-dependent, reaching a maximum in the region of pH 6.0-7.0. No change of catalytic activity was observed as a result of interaction between lactate dehydrogenase and troponin, the enzyme appeared capable of functioning in the bound form.     

The foetal development of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from human striated muscle

1. Human foetal skeletal muscles involved in support and in periodic contractility were studied for their content of total extractable lactate dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities as well as for the relative distribution of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes. 2. During foetal development a linear steady increase in total lactate dehydrogenase activity as well as a linear decrease in the H/M sub-unit ratio of the isoenzymes was found. 3. No significant changes were found in the activities of the enzymes of the hexose monophosphate shunt (C-6 oxidation). 4. The changes found suggest a steady increased synthesis of lactate dehydrogenase M-sub-units in human skeletal muscles during foetal development. 5. The weekly changes in the total lactate dehydrogenase activity and in lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes are lower in muscles involved in support than in those involved in periodic contractility. 6. These findings, together with the literature available, are consistent with the morphological fact that foetal development of skeletal muscles mostly concerns the white muscle fibres and not the red muscle fibres.     

The distribution of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in adult human Achilles tendons

The authors have studied the LDH isoenzymes distribution in the human Achilles tendons. Connection between the age, sex, and enzyme activity were not found. In the Achilles tendon were found strong activity of isoenzymes IV and V (M-type), and controversy them moderate activity of isoenzymes I and II (H-type).     

Studies on the nature of the subcellular localization of lactate dehydrogenase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in chicken skeletal muscle

The elucidation of the subcellular localization of enzymes by the classical technique of homogenization followed by differential centrifugation is limited in that it is difficult to determine the effect of the severe disruptive procedures on the normal relationship of the enzymes to their subcellular environment. Attempts have been made to study this problem under less severe limitations; one of the approaches used has been the use of pressure on whole muscle tissue to extract the cellular fluids. In this report we introduce the concept of “comparative extraction” for evaluation of results obtained by this procedure. By comparing the efflux of enzymes of similar solubility and similar size and shape, it is possible to determine the minimal amount of the less easily extractable enzyme which cannot be removed due to compartmentation or binding to cellular particulate structures. Using this concept of “comparative extraction,” we show in this report that at least 35% of the lactate dehydrogenase of chicken breast muscle is restricted in its removal. The data do not definitely resolve the problem of whether the restriction is due to compartmentation of the enzyme within subcellular organelles or binding to subcellular structures.     

Inhibition by tributyltin of herring skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity

The activity of herring (Clupea harengus) skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) LDH-A4 isoenzyme was examined in the presence of tributyltin chloride (TBT). This paper reports the in vitro inhibition of LDH activity with increasing concentration of TBT. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) added to the LDH-A4 isoenzyme prior to the addition of TBT was able to protect enzyme activity against inhibition by this toxicant. The observed protection of LDH-A4 activity increased with increasing BSA concentration in the incubation medium. The results suggest that the presence of BSA could protect LDH activity from direct binding of TBT to LDH.