title: Myosin heavy chain expression in human laryngeal muscle fibers. A biochemical study.
abstract: Since the intrinsic laryngeal muscles in humans are involved in specialized functions, one may suppose that this would be associated with the expression of specific myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms, as has been reported for the rat, dog, and rabbit. In order to determine which MHCs are expressed in the human laryngeal muscles, biochemical analysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed. Thyroarytenoid and posterior cricoarytenoid muscles were obtained from a 7-month-old infant and 4 adults. In the adult human laryngeal muscles, 3 bands were resolved identical to those previously described in the human limb muscles (I, IIA, and IIB MHCs). In contrast, muscles from the infant also expressed fetal MHC and a novel MHC not observed in other human skeletal muscles. This novel band migrated at the same level as the laryngeal MHC previously described in the rat. Since these 2 isoforms disappear in the adult, the persistence in the infant could be correlated with the immature development of laryngeal functions and, in particular, phonation.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Oto-Rhino-Laryngologie et Chirurgie de la Face et du Cou, Faculté de Médecine Saint Antoine, Université Paris VI, Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Périé
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Agbulut
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: St Guily
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Butler-Browne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007821:Laryngeal Muscles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains