Myosin heavy chain composition of tongue muscle in microphthalmic (mi/mi) mice before and after weaning.
To elucidate the effects of teeth on muscle fibers in the tongue during the developmental process, we examined the expression of muscle contractile proteins and the genes for those proteins in normal mice and microphthalmic (mi/mi) mice with impaired tooth eruption. The mice were observed during the growth period, including weaning, which is when feeding movements undergo major changes. Expression of the myosin heavy chain (MyHC)-2a protein, whose contraction speed is relatively slow, disappeared after weaning in normal mice, while it remained in high concentrations even after weaning in mi/mi mice. The presence of MyHC-2a after weaning in mice with no tooth eruption was attributed to a compensation for lack of proper masticatory function and sucking-like movements, as MyHC-2a is necessary for these movements.
Yanagisawa
Nobuaki
N
Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Dental College, 1-2-2 Masago, Mihama-Ku, Chiba 261-8502, Japan. nyana@tdc.ac.jp
Abe
Shinichi
S
Agematsu
Hiroko
H
Sakiyama
Koji
K
Usami
Akinobu
A
Tamatsu
Yuichi
Y
Ide
Yoshinobu
Y
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014059:Tongue / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D014070:Tooth / Q000254:growth & development; D014886:Weaning
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains