Abstract
The fast muscle fibres that form the bulk of muscle tissue in teleost fish
are used in fast escape and attack responses. In adult fish, the fast fibres
are arranged in a pseudo-helical pattern that is thought to optimise the
work output of the fibres during movement. During development, the
muscle fast fibres are initially arranged in parallel with the body axis and
the slow muscle fibres are located centrally instead of peripherally. The
development of the pseudo-helical pattern and the migration of slow
fibres towards the periphery correspond with the onset of movements in
the embryo. To test whether embryonic movements are responsible for
these architectural changes, we compared wild type embryos with
immobile embryos using confocal microscopy. Despite the immobility,
distinguished slow and fast muscle fibres developed at the correct
location in the axial muscles, helical muscle fibre arrangements were
detected and sarcomere architecture was generated. However, in nicb107
mutant embryos the notochord is flatter and the cross-sectional body
shape more rounded, also affecting muscle fibre orientation. The
stacking of sarcomeres and myofibril arrangement show a less regular
pattern in electron microscopy analysis. Finally, judging from real time
quantitative PCR, changes in gene expression indicate that muscle
growth is not impeded and energy metabolism is not changed by the
decrease in muscle activity, but that the composition of muscle is
altered. In conclusion, the lack of muscle fibre activity did not prevent
the basal muscle components developing, but influenced further
organisation and differentiation of these components.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Abstracts of the Annual Main Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology |
Place of Publication | Canterbury, Kent (UK) |
Pages | S80 (A5.5) |
Number of pages | 1 |
Volume | 143 |
Publication status | Published - 2006 |
Event | SEB - Duration: 2 Apr 2006 → 7 Apr 2006 |
Conference/symposium
Conference/symposium | SEB |
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Period | 2/04/06 → 7/04/06 |