ARTICLE |
Correspondence to: T.M.G.J Van Eijden, Dept. of Functional Anatomy, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: j.a.korfage@amc.uva.nl
![]() |
Summary |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
In this study we compared the immunohistochemically quantified fiber type area with the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) contents of a bundle of fibers from a human masticatory muscle. The total cross-sectional areas were determined immunohistochemically for the three major fiber types (I, IIA, and IIX) in bundles of fibers (n=42) taken from the anterior and posterior belly of the human digastric muscle (n=7). The relative MyHC contents of the same fiber bundles were determined electrophoretically (MyHC-I, -IIA, and -IIX; anterior, 32%, 35%, and 33%; posterior, 39%, 42%, and 19%) and compared with the immunohistochemical data (MyHC-I, -IIA, and -IIX; anterior, 32%, 31%, and 37%; posterior, 39%, 45%, and 15%). No significant differences were seen in the mean fiber type distribution between the two techniques; the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.71 to 0.96. The correlation coefficient was higher for MyHC type I and MyHC type IIX than for MyHC type IIA. The MyHC contents of single fibers taken from the posterior belly indicated that many fibers in this belly co-express MyHC-IIA and MyHC-IIX. Despite the presence of these hybrid fibers, the correspondence between both methods was relatively large.
(J Histochem Cytochem 51:113119, 2003)
Key Words: myosin, SDS-PAGE, immunohistochemistry, digastric muscle
![]() |
Introduction |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
Human muscle fibers can be divided into a few different fiber types depending on the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform they express. MyHC type I is expressed in slow muscle fibers and MyHC types IIA and IIX are expressed in fast muscle fibers. The latter isoform is said to have a faster contraction velocity than MyHC type IIA. MyHC-IIB is not found in humans, although its gene is still present (
To describe the fiber type composition of various muscles, investigators calculated the relative number or the cross-sectional area that a particular fiber type occupies, as determined by either ATPase histochemistry (
Some studies have made quantitative comparisons between the relative area, or the relative fiber type distribution, vs the MyHC contents determined by gel electrophoresis in human muscle biopsy specimens (
To our knowledge, a comparison of the fiber type area of all the fibers, as determined by immunohistochemistry, and the MyHC contents, as determined by gel electrophoresis, has not been performed on whole bundles of muscle fibers in human masticatory muscles. The masticatory muscles are different from limb and trunk muscles. Their fibers are four to five times smaller than those in limb and trunk muscles (
The primary focus of the present study was to compare the cross-sectional area of a certain fiber type in a bundle of masticatory muscle fibers, as determined by immunohistochemistry, with its MyHC contents, as determined by gel electrophoresis. We used the digastric muscle. Both bellies of this muscle were investigated separately because they differ in fiber type composition (
![]() |
Materials and Methods |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
In this study the anterior and posterior bellies of the digastric muscle of seven white cadavers were used, four males and three females, mean age 70.3 ± 15.6 years. The individuals were without known systemic disorders. None of the muscle specimens contained signs of muscle disease on the basis of histological examination. Of these seven cadavers, five had upper and lower dental prostheses and two were partially dentate. The muscles were obtained within 1236 hr post mortem, which was found not to influence the results greatly (
Immunohistochemistry
Serial transverse sections of 10 µm were cut in a cryomicrotome (Model HM 500 M; Adamas Instruments BV, Leersum, The Netherlands). The first and last 10 sections were collected for gel electrophoresis analysis. The 15 sections in between were mounted on coverslips and three of these sections were used for immunohistochemical analysis. After overnight fixation at -20C in a mixture of methanol:acetone:acetic acid:water (35:35:5:25) (
Sample Method and Fiber Cross-sectional Area Measurements
The three sections were photographed with a digital camera attached to a microscope and the fiber area outlines were drawn on a sheet. The fiber areas were classified by means of the three sections. We calculated the cross-sectional area of the fibers by scanning the drawn sheets, together with a grade mark for correction of enlargement into a personal computer via a flatbed scanner (Hewlett-Packard, Scanjet 4c). A custom-made program (
SDS-PAGE
The collected frozen sections were washed and homogenized as described by
Gel electrophoresis was performed in high glycerol containing (30%) sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gels (0.75-mm thickness) using an acrylamide to bis-acrylamide ratio of 67:1 in the separating gel (9% total acrylamide, pH 8.8) and of 50:1 in the stacking gel (4% total acrylamide, pH 6.8) (modified from
To estimate the quantification error of this scanning method of the MyHC isoform bands, 36 lanes were scanned for a second time on a different day. For each individual MyHC isoform, the mean and SD of the differences (n=36) was determined and was, respectively, MyHC-I 0.36 ± 4.50%, MyHC-IIA -1.89 ± 9.00%, MyHC-IIX 1.52 ± 9.94%.
Single Fibers
Our antibody panel cannot distinguish hybrid fibers that co-express MyHC-IIA and MyHC-IIX from fibers that express only MyHC-IIA. To get an indication whether the digastric muscle used in this study contains hybrid fibers, we analyzed the MyHC contents of a sample of single fibers by gel electrophoresis. Because the posterior belly contains more fibers denoted by immunohistochemistry as MyHC type IIA fibers, which could co-express more MyHC-IIX than the anterior belly (
Statistical Analyses
For each individual the mean was calculated for each MyHC fiber type area and MyHC contents over the three bundles of each belly. Then the grand mean and SD values were calculated over the means of the individuals (n=7). The Wilcoxon ranking test for paired data was used to analyze differences between the mean fiber type area and its corresponding MyHC isoform contents within a belly, and between the anterior and posterior belly. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine the relation between MyHC contents, as determined by gel electrophoresis, vs fiber type area. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
![]() |
Results |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
The fiber type areas of MyHC type I, MyHC type IIA, and MyHC type IIX differed significantly between the anterior and posterior belly (Fig 1). In the anterior belly, a larger MyHC type IIX fiber area and a smaller MyHC type IIA and MyHC type I fiber area were found than in the posterior belly.
|
In Fig 2 the percentage fiber type area in the anterior and posterior belly of each individual is linked to its percentage MyHC isoform contents. There was a large interindividual variation of the proportion of each fiber type area and MyHC isoform contents. For all MyHCs, no significant differences were found between the proportion of a MyHC fiber type area and its MyHC isoform contents (Table 2).
|
|
|
Of the 61 investigated single muscle fibers, 37 were pure fibers, expressing only one MyHC isoform, and the other 24 fibers were hybrid fibers. The most common hybrid fiber type found in these three muscles was fibers that co-expressed MyHC-IIA and MyHC-IIX (Table 1).
![]() |
Discussion |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
Two methods can be used to quantify the fiber type composition of a muscle, i.e., to calculate either the percentage or the area that is occupied by a particular fiber type classified by ATPase histochemistry or immunohistochemistry, or to determine the MyHC contents by gel electrophoresis. An advantage of gel electrophoresis is that even in biopsies of muscles that are difficult to cut in a cryotome, e.g., in diseased material, an MyHC profile can be established.
To justify the use of one of the two methods, the correlation between these methods has to be established. A comparison between fiber types as determined by ATPase histochemistry and the MyHC contents (
The correlation coefficients for ATPase histochemistry vs gel electrophoresis in the vastus lateralis muscle found in the literature ranged from 0.71 to 0.87 (
The observed differences between the two methods might be explained as follows. First, the concentration of myosin in a fiber differs between type I and type II fibers. In rabbit, it was found that type I fibers from the soleus contained approximately 22% less myosin than type IIX fibers from the psoas (
Second, hybrid fibers that co-express more than one MyHC isoform could contribute to the difference between the two methods. The single-fiber analysis showed that a significant portion of the investigated fibers of the posterior belly were hybrid fibers. This was also noted in a study (
The present study confirms in single fibers the previous immunohistochemical results (
Aging can influence the fiber type composition. In a study that compared the fiber type composition of the human digastric muscle in young and elderly individuals (
In conclusion, both immunohistochemistry and gel electrophoresis give comparable results. In the human digastric muscle, hybrid fibers co-expressing MyHC-IIA and MyHC-IIX appear to be a common hybrid fiber type. Further studies of single fibers with gel electrophoresis could show the ratio of MyHC-IIA and MyHC-IIX within these hybrid fibers.
![]() |
Acknowledgments |
---|
Supported by the Interuniversitary Research School of Dentistry through the Academic Centre of Dentistry, Amsterdam.
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr J.H. Koolstra, Dr G.E.J. Langenbach, and L.J. van Ruijven for reviewing the manuscript, and to Dr J van der Velden for expert advice on the gel electrophoresis.
Received for publication March 15, 2002; accepted July 24, 2002.
![]() |
Literature Cited |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
---|
Adams GR, Hather BM, Baldwin KM, Dudley GA (1993) Skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain composition and resistance training. J Appl Physiol 74:911-915[Abstract]
Andersen JL, Klitgaard H, Saltin B (1994) Myosin heavy chain isoforms in single fibers from m. vastus lateralis of sprinters: influence of training. Acta Physiol Scand 151:135-142[Medline]
Andersen JL, Terzis G, Kryger A (1999) Increase in the degree of coexpression of myosin heavy chain isoforms in skeletal muscle fibers of the very old. Muscle Nerve 22:499-545
Bamman MM, Clark MSF, Talmadge RJ, Feeback DL (1999) Enhanced protein electrophoresis technique for separating human skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms. Electrophoresis 20:466-468[Medline]
Berson G (1983) Silver staining of proteins in polyacrylamide gels: increased sensitivity by a blue toning. Anal Biochem 134:230-234[Medline]
Bredman JJ, Wessels A, Weijs WA, Korfage JAM, Soffers CAS, Moorman AFM (1991) Demonstration of cardiacspecific myosin heavy chain in masticatory muscles of human and rabbit. Histochem J 23:160-170[Medline]
Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A, Ringqvist M, Thornell L-E (1980) The reliability of histochemical fibre typing of human necropsy muscle. Histochemistry 65:193-205[Medline]
Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A, Ringqvist M, Thornell L-E (1982) Histochemical fibre composition of the human digastric muscle. Arch Oral Biol 27:207-215[Medline]
Essén B, Jansson E, Henriksson J, Taylor AW, Saltin B (1975) Metabolic characteristics of fibre types in human skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 95:153-165[Medline]
Everett AW, Prior G, Clark WA, Zak R (1983) Quantitation of myosin in muscle. Anal Biochem 130:102-107[Medline]
Fry AC, Allemeier CA, Staron RS (1994) Correlation between percentage fiber type area and myosin heavy chain content in human skeletal muscle. Eur J Appl Physiol 68:246-251
Hancock MB (1982) A serotonin-immunoreactive fiber system in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord. Neurosci Lett 31:247-252[Medline]
Johnson MA, Polgar J, Weightman D, Appleton D (1973) Data on the distribution of fibre types in thirty-six human muscles. An autopsy study. J Neurol Sci 18:111-129[Medline]
Klitgaard H, Zhou M, Schiaffino S, Betto R, Salviati G, Saltin B (1990) Ageing alters the myosin heavy chain composition of single fibres from human skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 140:55-62[Medline]
Korfage JAM, Brugman P, Van Eijden TMGJ (2000) Intermuscular and intramuscular differences in myosin heavy chain composition of the human masticatory muscles. J Neurol Sci 178:95-106[Medline]
Korfage JAM, Schueler YT, Brugman P, Van Eijden TMGJ (2001) Differences in myosin heavy-chain composition between human jaw-closing muscles and supra- and infrahyoid muscles. Arch Oral Biol 46:821-827[Medline]
Korfage JAM, Van Eijden TMGJ (1999) Regional differences in fibre type composition in the human temporalis muscle. J Anat 194:355-362[Medline]
Korfage JAM, Van Eijden TMGJ (2000) Myosin isoform composition of the human medial and lateral pterygoid muscles. J Dent Res 78:1618-1625
Lexell J (1993) Ageing and human muscle: observations from Sweden. Can J Appl Physiol 18:2-18[Medline]
Lucas CA, Kang LHD, Hoh JFY (2000) Monospecific antibodies against the three mammalian fast limb myosin heavy chains. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 272:303-308[Medline]
Monemi M, Eriksson P-O, Kadi F, ButlerBrowne GS, Thornell L-E (1999) Opposite changes in myosin heavy chain composition of human masseter and biceps brachii muscles during aging. J Musc Res Cell Motil 20:351-361[Medline]
Monemi M, Liu J-X, Thornell L-E, Eriksson P-O (2000) Myosin heavy chain composition of the human lateral pterygoid and digastric muscles in young adults and elderly. J Musc Res Cell Motil 21:303-312[Medline]
Perrie WT, Bumford SJ (1986) Electrophoretic separation of myosin isozymes. Implications for the histochemical demonstration of fibre types in biopsy specimens of human skeletal muscle. J Neurol Sci 73:89-96[Medline]
Rome LC, Lindstedt ST (1998) The quest for speed: muscles built for high-frequency contractions. News Physiol Sci 13:261-268
Sant'Ana Pereira JAA, Greaser M, Moss RL (2001) Pulse electrophoresis of muscle myosin heavy chains in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Anal Biochem 291:229-236[Medline]
Sant'Ana Pereira JAA, Wessels A, Nijtmans L, Moorman AFM, Sargeant AJ (1995) New method for the accurate characterization of single human skeletal muscle fibres demonstrates a relation between mATPase and MyHC expression in pure and hybrid fibre types. J Musc Res Cell Motil 16:21-34[Medline]
Schiaffino S, Gorza L, Satore S, Saggin L, Ausoni S, Vianello M, Gundersen K et al. (1989) Three myosin heavy chain isoforms in type 2 skeletal muscle fibres. J Musc Res Cell Motil 10:197-205[Medline]
Schiaffino S, Reggiani C (1994) Myosin isoforms in mammalian skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 77:493-501
Sciote JJ, Rowlerson AM, Hopper C, Hunt NP (1994) Fibre type classification and myosin isoforms in the human masseter muscle. J Neurol Sci 126:15-24[Medline]
Serrano AL, Perez M, Lucia A, Chicharro JL, QuirozRothe E, Rivero JLL (2001) Immunolabelling, histochemistry and in situ hybridisation in human skeletal muscle fibres to detect myosin heavy chain expression at the protein and mRNA level. J Anat 199:329-337[Medline]
Staron RS (1991) Correlation between myofibrillar ATPase activity and myosin heavy chain composition in single human muscle fibers. Histochemistry 96:21-24[Medline]
Staron RS (1997) Human skeletal muscle fiber types: delineation, development, and distribution. Can J Appl Physiol 22:307-327[Medline]
Staron RS, Hagerman FC, Hikida RS, Murray TF, Hostler DP, Crill MT, Ragg KE et al. (2000) Fiber type composition of the vastus lateralis muscle of young men and women. J Histochem Cytochem 48:623-629
Staron RS, Hikida RS (1992) Histochemical, biomedical, and ultrastructural analyses of single human muscle fibers, with special reference to the C-fiber population. J Histochem Cytochem 40:563-568
Talmadge RJ, Roy RR (1993) Electrophoretic separation of rat skeletal muscle myosin heavy-chain isoforms. J Appl Physiol 75:2337-2340[Abstract]
Tikunov BA, Sweeney HL, Rome LC (2001) Quantitative electrophoretic analysis of myosin heavy chains in single muscle fibers. J Appl Physiol 90:1927-1935
Travnik L, Pernûs F, Eren I (1995) Histochemical and morphometric characteristics of the normal human vastus medialis longus and vastus medialis obliquus muscles. J Anat 187:403-411[Medline]
Weiss A, McDonough D, Wertman B, AcakpoSatchivi L, Montgomery K, Kucherlapati K, Leinwand L et al. (1999) Organization of human and mouse skeletal myosin heavy chain gene clusters is highly conservated. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:2958-2963
Wessels A, Vermeulen JLM, Moorman AFM, Becker AE (1988) Immunohistochemical detection of myosin heavy chain isoforms in large sections of whole human hearts. In Ugo Carrero , ed. Sarcomeric and Non-Sarcomeric Muscles: Basic and Applied Research Prospects for the 90's. Padova, Unipress, 311-316
Williamson DL, Galligher PM, Carroll CC, Raue U, Trappe SW (2001) Reduction in hybrid single muscle fiber proportion with resistance training in humans. J Appl Physiol 91:1955-1961
Zhou M-Y, Klitgaard H, Saltin B, Roy RR, Edgerton VR, Gollnick PD (1995) Myosin heavy chain isoforms of human muscle after short-term space flight. J Appl Physiol 78:1740-1744