'Fast' isomyosins and fiber types in mammalian skeletal muscle

Abstract

Immunohistochemical procedures have been used to correlate antigenic differences among fast isomyosins with their specific localization in particular types of rat muscle fibers. Antisera were produced in rabbits against myosins isolated from guinea pig fast-white (tensor fasciae latae) and fast-red (masseter) muscles. After sequential cross-adsorptions on insolubilized heterologous myosins, antibodies mainly directed against heavy chain determinants were obtained. In indirect immunofluorescence assays, these antibodies selectively stained fast-white (type IIB) and fast-red (type IIA) fibers, respectively. Slow-twitch (type I) fibers, which were reactive with antibodies against soleus muscle myosin, were unreactive with anti-fast-myosin antibodies. In addition to these major types of fibers, with unique immunoreactivity, two groups of fibers with double reactivity were identified: 1) fibers reactive with anti-slow-twitch and anti-fast-red antibodies (corresponding to IIC fibers with enzyme histochemistry) and 2) fibers reactive with anti-fast-red and anti-fast-white antibodies. The authors propose to identify these fibers with the symbols I ⇆ IIA and IIA ⇆ IIB, respectively, as they may be considered as intermediate and/or transitional stages between the major fiber types. No fibers were reactive with both anti-slow-twitch and anti-fast-white antibodies. Therefore, muscle fibers may change in a sequential manner, from I → IIA → IIB or in the reverse direction, suggesting an obligatory sequence of gene activation.