Synopsis
Frozen sections of the pectoral, gastrocnemius and cardiac muscles from seven different species of birds were stained for myofibrillar ATPase and for succinic dehydrogenase. Several methods of myofibrillar ATPase were used including different pre-incubation treatments. Myofibrillar ATPases were also measured biochemically and the pH profile of the activity was compared with the histochemical staining following pre-incubation at different pH. Myofibrils from the different muscles were also subjected to sodium dodecyl sulphate acrylamide gel electrophoresis in order to separate the low molecular weight components of myosin. The results demonstrated that histochemical methods can be applied, with a reasonable degree of confidence, to classifying fibres in avian muscles although the classification used for mammalian muscles needs to be modified. They also showed that avian muscles, particularly the pectoralis, varies considerably between species and their mode of locomotion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amos, B. (1976). An apparatus for microelectrophoresis in polyacrylamide slab-gels.Analyt. Biochem. 70, 612–5.
Báràny, M. (1967). ATPase activity of myosin correlated with speed of muscle shortening.J. gen. Physiol. 50, 197–218.
Close, R. (1972). Dynamic properties of mammalian skeletal muscles.Physiol. Rev. 52, 129–97.
Engel, W. K. &Irwin, R. A. (1967). A histochemical-physiological correlation of frog skeletal muscle fibres.Am. J. Physiol. 213, 511–8.
George, J. C. &Berger, A. F. (1966).Avian Myology. New York: Academic Press.
George, J. C. &Talesara, C. L. (1961). Histochemical observations on the succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase activity in pigeon breast muscle.Q. Jl micros. Sci. 102, 131–41.
Goldspink, G. (1976). Muscle Energetics. In:Mechanics and Energetics of Animal Locomotion. (Eds. R. McN. Alexander and G. Goldspink). pp. 67–74. London: Chapman and Hall.
Goldspink, G., Mills, C. & K. Schmidt-Nielsen. (1978). Electrical activity of the pectoral muscles during gliding and flapping flight in the herring gull.Experientia (in press).
Gornall, A. G., Bardawill, C. J. &David, M. M. (1949). Determination of serum proteins by means of the Biuret reaction.J. biol. Chem. 177, 751–66.
Guth, L., &Samaha, F. J. (1969). Qualitative differences between actomyosin ATPase of slow and fast mammalian muscle.Expl Neurol. 25, 138–52.
Guth, L. &Samaha, F. J. (1970). Procedure for the histochemical demonstration of actomyosin ATPase.Expl Neurol. 28, 365–7.
Guth, L. (1973). Fact and artifacts in the histochemical procedure for myofibrillar ATPase.Expl Neurol. 41, 440–50.
Hikida, R. S. (1973). Avian fast and slow muscle: Comparison of their ultrastructure, histology, histochemistry and end plates.Anat. Rec. 175, 344.
Hess, A. (1970). Vertebrate slow muscle fibres.Physiol. Rev. 50, 40–62.
Khan, M. A. (1977). Histochemical subtypes of three fibre types of avian skeletal muscle.Histochemistry 50, 9–16.
Lowey, Susan S. &Risby, D. (1971). Light chains from fast and slow muscle myosins.Nature 234, 81–5.
Meijer, A. E. F. H. (1970). Histochemical method for the demonstration of myosin adenosine triphosphatase in muscle tissues.Histochemistry 22, 51–8.
Nachlas, M. M., Tsou, K. C., Souza, E., Cheng, C. S. &Seligman, A. M. (1957). Cytochemical demonstration of succinic dehydrogenase by the use of a newp-nitrophenol substituted ditetrazolium.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 5, 420.
Ogata, T. &Mori, M. (1964). Histochemical study of oxidative enzymes in vertebrate muscle.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 12, 171–82.
Padykula, H. A. &Herman, E. (1955). The specificity of the histochemical method for adenosine triphosphatase.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 170–95.
Perry, S. V. &Grey, T. C. (1956). A study of the effects of substrate concentration and certain relaxing factors on the Mg2+-activated myofibrillar ATPase.Biochem. J. 64, 184–92.
Reasons, R. H. &Hikida, R. S. (1973). Biochemistry of adenosine triphosphatase activity of avian fast and slow muscle.Expl. Neurol. 38, 27–32.
Sandow, A. (1970). Skeletal muscle.A. Rev. Physiol. 32, 87–138.
Talesara, C. L. &Kumar, P. (1973). Histoenzymological evidence for the aneuronal ontogenesis of the pectoralis major muscle of bat and sparrow into atypical ‘red’ muscle.Ann. Histochem. 18, 277–87.
Wachstein, M. &Meisel, E. (1957). Histochemistry of hepatic phosphatases at a physiologic pH with special reference to the demonstration of bile canaliculi.Amer. J. Clin. Path. 27, 13–23.
Weeds, A. G., Hall, R. &Spurway, N. C. S. (1975). Characterization of myosin light chains from histochemically identified fibres of rabbit psoas muscle.FEBS Letters,49, 320–4.
Weeds, A. G. &Pope, B. (1971). Chemical studies on light chains from cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins.Nature 234, 85–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Talesara, G.L., Goldspink, G. A combined histochemical and biochemical study of myofibrillar ATPase in pectoral, leg and cardiac muscle of several species of bird. Histochem J 10, 695–709 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003119
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003119