Characterization of the giant myofiber in bovine skeletal muscle.
Semitendinosus (ST) muscle samples were excised pre- and postrigor from 32 experimental animals (Bos taurus). Four intact and 4 castrate males were exsanguinated when they reached age endpoints of 8, 12, 16, and 20 months. The samples were sectioned, histochemically fiber-typed for SDH and ATPase activity, and examined for giant myofibers. Of the 32 muscles analyzed, only one (8-month intact male) postrigor ST contained a giant myofiber that was hematoxylin and eosin positive, SDH negative, ATPase positive, and 2 X the size of the surrounding fibers. Subsequent studies demonstrated these giant type II white myofibers are an anomaly of muscle contraction and not a distinct fiber type as has been previously reported. This is a first report of giant white or type II myofibers in postrigor bovine skeletal muscle.
J D
JD
Sink
O M
OM
Mann
H
H
Turgut
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006416:Hematoxylin; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D009919:Orchiectomy; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism*
D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D006416:Hematoxylin