title: Preliminary study on the effect of caspase-6 and calpain inhibitors on postmortem proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins in chicken breast muscle.
abstract: The objective was to determine the effect of three different protease inhibitors, caspase-6 specific inhibitor VEID-CHO (N-Acetyl-Val-Glu-Ile-Asp-al), calpain inhibitor leupeptin or calpain inhibitor EGTA on protein degradation, ultrastructure of myofibrils and calpain activity during postmortem (PM) aging of chicken muscle. Results showed that proteolysis of nebulin, troponin-T and desmin during 14-days postmortem storage were inhibited significantly by leupeptin. Inhibitive effects of VEID-CHO and EGTA on these protein degradations were significant only during 1-day postmortem storage. The activities of calpains were inhibited noticeably by leupeptin and EGTA, but not by VEID-CHO. Samples treated with VEID-CHO, leupeptin and EGTA retarded structural disruption of chicken muscle fibers. These results demonstrate that calpain is a major contributor to PM tenderization; while caspase-6 plays, if any, a minimal role in the conversion of chicken muscle to meat.
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of meat processing and quality control, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hanjun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xinglian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Guanghong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D002645:Chickens; D003893:Desmin / Q000378:metabolism; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007976:Leupeptins / Q000378:metabolism; D008460:Meat; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D059748:Proteolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D020107:Troponin T / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D003893:Desmin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007976:Leupeptins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D020107:Troponin T; C110923:acetyl-valyl-isoleucyl-aspartyl-aldehyde; C039304:calpain inhibitors; C035620:nebulin; D004533:Egtazic Acid; C032854:leupeptin