title: Age effects on myosin subunit and biochemical alterations with skeletal muscle hypertrophy.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether skeletal muscle mass, myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase activity, and the expression of myosin heavy (MHC) and light chain subunits are differentially affected in juvenile (4 wk) and young adult (12 wk) rats by a hypertrophic growth stimulus. Hypertrophy of the plantaris or soleus was studied 4 wk after ablation of either two [gastrocnemius (GTN) and soleus or plantaris] or one (GTN) synergistic muscle(s). There was no difference in the relative magnitude of hypertrophy because of age. Plantaris myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase activity was decreased 21 and 12% in juvenile and adult rats, respectively, as a result of ablation of both the GTN and soleus. Slow myosin light chain isoforms (1s and 2s) were expressed to a greater extent in hypertrophied plantaris muscles of both ages, but the increase in 1s was greater in juvenile rats. The relative expression of slow beta-MHC in hypertrophied plantaris muscles increased by 470 and 350%, whereas MHC IIb decreased by 70 and 33% in juvenile and adult rats, respectively. The relative expression of MHC IIa increased (56%) in the plantaris after ablation in juvenile rats only. These shifts in myosin subunit expression and the increases in mass were generally about one-half the magnitude when only the GTN was removed. There were no detectable myosin shifts in hypertrophied soleus muscles. Although the extent of muscle hypertrophy is similar, the shifts in myosin subunits were greater in juvenile than in young adult rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, Massachusetts 02215.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kandarian
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Esser
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006984:Hypertrophy; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000378:metabolism; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D009218:Myosins