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Reversal of the Enzyme Profiles of Muscle Fibres in Fast and Slow Muscles by Cross-innervation

Nature volume 212, pages 1369–1370 (1966)Cite this article

Abstract

PREVIOUS histochemical1,2 and quantitative3 studies of enzymes in skeletal muscles have shown that the muscles with fast contraction characteristics have a preponderance of fibres with a high activity of glycolytic enzymes. By contrast, the muscles with slow contraction consist of fibres with high activity of lipid and oxidative metabolism. These enzyme differences reflect differences between the energy metabolism of the two types of muscles. Denervation4,5 was found to cause a preferential loss of activity of glycolytic enzymes in the fast muscles and of lipid and oxidative enzymes in the slow muscles. Consequently, after the interruption of the nerve supply the enzyme differences between the fibres of the two types of muscles gradually decreased and tended to disappear. These findings were interpreted as indicating that denervation results in a metabolic dedifferentiation of the muscle fibres.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurological Unit, Boston City Hospital,

    FLAVIU C. A. ROMANUL & JOSEPH P. VAN DER MEULEN

  2. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School,

    FLAVIU C. A. ROMANUL & JOSEPH P. VAN DER MEULEN

Authors
  1. FLAVIU C. A. ROMANUL
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  2. JOSEPH P. VAN DER MEULEN
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ROMANUL, F., VAN DER MEULEN, J. Reversal of the Enzyme Profiles of Muscle Fibres in Fast and Slow Muscles by Cross-innervation. Nature 212, 1369–1370 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2121369a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2121369a0

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