Amino acid incorporation into proteins of developing breast muscle of the normal and dystrophic chicken

Ribosomal protein synthesis in cultured skin fibroblast cells obtained from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Ribosomes and ribosomal subunits were extracted from cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A poly(U)-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis system was used to test 80S ribosomes from DMD cells and normal controls as well as hybrid 80S couples of subunits from DMD cells and control cells. The activity of ribosomes extracted from the patients was 38-62% lower than that of normal controls. Of the 80S hybrid ribosomes, only those consisting of 40S subunits from DMD cells and 60S subunits from the control cells, showed a similar decrease in activity. That means that the defect is exclusively based on an alteration in the small ribosomal subunit.

Changes in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities and thiobarbituric acid-reactive products levels in early stages of development in dystrophic chickens

Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase, Mn superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities and thiobarbituric acid-reactive products were assayed in the superficial pectoral muscles of genetically dystrophic chickens (line 413) and their controls (line 412) 1, 2, and 4 weeks, and 4 months after hatching. In control chickens, all these enzyme activities declined as they grew older. In dystrophic chickens, all these enzyme activities were significantly elevated at all stages of development studied, and their developmental time courses were quite different from those in the controls. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive products were also significantly elevated in dystrophic chickens after 2 weeks of age. Invasion of macrophages and lipid cells were not manifest until 4 weeks after hatching in the dystrophic chickens studied. Therefore, observed abnormalities were considered to represent biochemical pathologies within muscle cells. Increased activities of the enzymes which are responsible for the regulation of active oxygen species and the elevated thiobarbituric acid-reactive products would indicate the presence of increased turnover of those active oxygen species. These findings indicated that active oxygen species were playing a significant role in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies. The possible mechanisms of cellular damage by active oxygen species are discussed.

Superoxide dismutase activity in early stages of development in normal and dystrophic chickens

Changes in superoxide dismutase activities in early stages of chronological development were investigated in normal and dystrophic chickens. Both cupro-zinc and manganese superoxide dismutase activities were significantly elevated in the dystrophic chickens studied as early as one week after hatching compared to those in the control. In control chickens, both cupro-zinc and manganese superoxide dismutase activities declined as they grew older. In dystrophic chickens, manganese superoxide dismutase activity declined gradually as they grew older as in the control. However, cupro-zinc superoxide dismutase activity increased until four weeks of age. The latter activity was still twice as high as that of the control at four months of age. Increased activities in superoxide dismutases in early stages of the development suggest presence of increased turnover of active oxygen species from the early stage of the disease in this avian muscular dystrophy. And the distinct time course of cupro-zinc superoxide dismutase activity suggests involvement of active oxygen species in pathogenesis of this disorder.

Turnover of myofibrillar proteins in cultured muscle cells from normal and dystrophic chick embryos

Rates of protein degradation and synthesis were determined in myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar fractions and in myofibrillar subunits of cultured muscle cells from normal and dystrophic chick embryos of genetically closely related lines. Growth characteristics of normal and dystrophic cells were identical as measured by DNA, RNA and protein accumulation. Degradation rates of myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar protein determined from label-chase experiments were the same in normal and dystrophic cultures. In similar experiments in which degradation rates of eight different components of the myofibrillar fraction were measured, a spectrum of degradation rates was obtained indicating that myofibril components turn over individually or in groups, rather than as an intact unit. Myosin heavy chain was the slowest turning over component of those measured, while actin was among the most rapid. No differences were found between normals and dystrophics in the turnover of any of the components. Fractional rates of protein synthesis were also determined for the myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar fractions of cultured cells. The rates obtained with normal and dystrophic cells were indistinguishable and were the same for the myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar fractions. Initial amino acid incorporation rates into 17 separate components of the myofibrillar fractions were compared in normal and dystrophic cells. No significant differences were found.

Content and synthesis of several abundant glycolytic enzymes in skeletal muscles of normal and dystrophic mice

In both 2- and 3-month-old 129 ReJ mice, the catalytic activity levels of three enzymes involved in glycogen breakdown (phosphorylase, enolase, and aldolase) were found to be 35-50% lower in hind limb muscles of dystrophic mice as compared with normal mice. The reduced activities of these enzymes in the diseased tissue was directly due to corresponding reductions in the number of enzyme molecules rather than being due to inactivation of the enzymes in the dystrophic muscle. Results of short term double isotope incorporation experiments conducted with muscle explants in vitro suggested that the rates of synthesis of these enzymes, and of most other abundant cytosolic proteins, relative to each other, were similar in hind limb muscles of normal and dystrophic mice. The present work on murine muscular dystrophy is discussed in terms of our previous studies into the influence of avian muscular dystrophy on the content and synthesis of abundant glycolytic enzymes in chicken skeletal muscles.

Protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal muscle of normal and dystrophic hamsters

Dystrophic hamsters (BIO 53.58) had lower body weights and gastrocnemius muscle weights than normal hamsters (BIO RB). Dystrophic muscle contained less protein than normal muscle. The proportion of collagenous to noncollagenous protein remained unchanged. Loss of protein in the dystrophic muscle was the result of an increase in the rate of protein degradation. This was accompanied by higher activities of two lysosomal proteases, cathepsins B and D. The net effect of the increase in protein degradation was blunted by an increase in the rate of synthesis of total protein and myosin. The faster rate of synthesis in dystrophic muscle was partially due to an increase in the concentration of cellular RNA. Rates of peptide-chain initiation and protein synthesis decreased in muscles of normal hamsters perfused in the absence of insulin. In the presence of insulin, these processes were maintained at higher rates. However, the rate of protein synthesis in dystrophic muscle appeared less insulin-dependent than normal muscle. Protein degradation was inhibited by insulin in both types of muscle.

Altered protein synthesis and creatine kinase in breast muscle cell cultures from dystrophic chick embryos

The total protein synthesis (TPS), myosin synthesis (MS) and creatine kinase (CK) levels in muscle cell cultures obtained from 400 normal (strain 454) and 400 dystrophic chick embryos (strain 455) were investigated. The cultures were obtained from breast muscles of 12 day chick embryos by dissociation in 0.25% trypsin, preplating and plating of 5 x 10(5) floating cells on gelatin coated dishes in Minimal Essential Medium, 10% horse serum and 2% chick embryo extract. After 6 days, when electron-microscopic studies demonstrated good muscle differentiation, cell cultures were labeled with [3H]leucine. TPS and MS, respectively, showed 85% and 65% increases in breast muscle cell cultures from dystrophic chick embryos. The half-life times for total protein and myosin from dystrophics were 19 and 32 hr, respectively as compared with 36 and 48 hr from controls. Noncollagen protein content (NCP) showed 27% decrease in postfusion stage (12 days) of cell cultures from dystrophics. The CK level showed 30% lower values in the cells from dystrophics but 50% higher values in their culture medium. The addition of leupeptin plus pepstatin (50 microgram/ml) to these cultures resotred NCP content, total protein and myosin turnover to normal values and significantly increased TPS and MS. The addition of diphenylhydantoin (DPH) (20 microgram/ml) to cell cultures from dystrophics did not change the NCP content nor the turnover for total protein and myosin but significantly increased TPS, MS and CK while medium CK significantly decreased. The addition of leupeptin plus pepstatin or DPH to muscle cell cultures from normal chick embryos also significantly stimulated TPS and MS.