title: Calpain activity in fast, slow, transforming, and regenerating skeletal muscles of rat.
abstract: Fiber-type transitions in adult skeletal muscle induced by chronic low-frequency stimulation (CLFS) encompass coordinated exchanges of myofibrillar protein isoforms. CLFS-induced elevations in cytosolic Ca(2+) could activate proteases, especially calpains, the major Ca(2+)-regulated cytosolic proteases. Calpain activity determined by a fluorogenic substrate in the presence of unaltered endogenous calpastatin activities increased twofold in low-frequency-stimulated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, reaching a level intermediate between normal fast- and slow-twitch muscles. micro- and m-calpains were delineated by a calpain-specific zymographical assay that assessed total activities independent of calpastatin and distinguished between native and processed calpains. Contrary to normal EDL, structure-bound, namely myofibrillar and microsomal calpains, were abundant in soleus muscle. However, the fast-to-slow conversion of EDL was accompanied by an early translocation of cytosolic micro-calpain, suggesting that myofibrillar and microsomal micro-calpain was responsible for the twofold increase in activity and thus involved in controlled proteolysis during fiber transformation. This is in contrast to muscle regeneration where m-calpain translocation predominated. Taken together, we suggest that translocation is an important step in the control of calpain activity in skeletal muscle in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Dittrich
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pette
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006614:Hindlimb; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000378:metabolism; D018656:Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch / Q000502:physiology*; D018657:Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C033668:calpastatin; D002154:Calpain