The sarcotubular system of frog skeletal muscle. A morphological and biochemical study

Discovery of the regulatory role of calcium ion in muscle contraction and relaxation: Setsuro Ebashi and the international emergence of Japanese muscle research

In the early 1950s Setsuro Ebashi was a graduate student at Tokyo University studying the biochemical models of muscle contraction. The muscle components in these models contracted in the presence of ATP, but what caught his attention was that the components did not relax when ATP was exhausted. Ebashi decided in 1952 to attempt to elucidate the mechanism of muscle relaxation using these models. This decision started a journey that would lead him to be the first to propose the calcium concept of muscle contraction and relaxation in 1961. It was an unpopular theory with biochemists who refused to accept that anything as simple as an inorganic ion, Ca²⁺, could control anything as important as muscle contraction. Ebashi was convinced that he was correct. He proceeded to show that micromolar concentrations of Ca²⁺ activated contraction. In 1961 he discovered the particulate nature of the ATP-dependent relaxing factor (the sarcoplasmic reticulum) and determined that it acted by binding Ca²⁺. Most notably, in 1966 he discovered troponin, the Ca²⁺ receptor in muscle, which mediated Ca²⁺ control of contraction. Ebashi's discoveries were considered the most important in the muscle field since the 1950s. Ebashi had to overcome the doubt of the scientific community. This story is one of great scientific achievement against great odds that marked the emergence of Japanese muscle research onto the international scientific stage.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Setsuro Ebashi proposed the calcium concept of muscle contraction and relaxation in 1961. It was a very unpopular theory. He showed that Ca²⁺ activated contraction and that the sarcoplasmic reticulum caused relaxation by binding Ca²⁺ in an ATP-dependent manner. Most notably, he discovered the receptor that mediated Ca²⁺ control of contraction and named it "troponin." Ebashi's discoveries are considered to be the most important in the muscle field since the 1950s.

A proposed role for non-junctional transverse tubules in skeletal muscle as flexible segments allowing expansion of the transverse network

Using a variety of technical approaches, we have detected the presence of continuous triads that cover the entire length of T tubules in the main white body muscles of several small fish. This is in contrast to the discontinuous association of sarcoplasmic reticulum with T tubules in the red muscles from the same fish as well as in all other previously described muscles in a large variety of skeletal muscles. We suggest that continuous triads are permissible only in muscle fibers that are not normally subject to significant changes in sarcomere length during normal in vivo activity, as is the case for white muscles in the trunk of fish.

The relationship between form and function throughout the history of excitation-contraction coupling

Franzini-Armstrong reviews the development of the excitation–contraction coupling field over time.

The concept of excitation–contraction coupling is almost as old as Journal of General Physiology. It was understood as early as the 1940s that a series of stereotyped events is responsible for the rapid contraction response of muscle fibers to an initial electrical event at the surface. These early developments, now lost in what seems to be the far past for most young investigators, have provided an endless source of experimental approaches. In this Milestone in Physiology, I describe in detail the experiments and concepts that introduced and established the field of excitation–contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. More recent advances are presented in an abbreviated form, as readers are likely to be familiar with recent work in the field.

The interaction of Ca2+ with sarcomeric proteins: role in function and dysfunction of the heart

The hallmarks of the normal heartbeat are both rapid onset of contraction and rapid relaxation as well as an inotropic response to both increased end-diastolic volume and increased heart rate. At the microscopic level, Ca(2+) plays a crucial role in normal cardiac contraction. This paper reviews the cycle of Ca(2+) fluxes during the normal heartbeat, which underlie the coupling between excitation and contraction and permit a highly synchronized action of cardiac sarcomeres. Length dependence of the response of the regulatory sarcomeric proteins mediates the Frank-Starling Law of the heart. However, Ca(2+) transport may go astray in heart disease such as in congestive heart failure, and both jeopardize systole and diastole and triggering arrhythmias. The interaction between weak and strong segments in nonuniform cardiac muscle allows partial preservation of force of contraction but may further lead to mechanoelectric feedback or reverse excitation-contraction coupling mediating an early diastolic Ca(2+) transient caused by the rapid force decrease during the relaxation phase. These rapid force changes in nonuniform muscle may cause arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) waves to propagate by the activation of neighboring sarcoplasmic reticulum by diffusing Ca(2+) ions.

THE SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM OF STRIATED MUSCLE OF A CYCLOPOID COPEPOD

The fine structure of the abdominal musculature of the copepod Macrocyclops albidus was investigated by electron microscopy. Tubules penetrate into the muscle fibers from the sarcolemma, continuity between the wall of the tubules and the sarcolemma being clear. A dense network of tubules envelops the myofibrils, its interstices being occupied by cisternal elements. At the Z lines the tubules traverse the interior of myofibrils, giving off branches which course longitudinally within the substance of the myofibrils. These branches are also accompanied by elongate, non-intercommunicating cisternae. Comparison of this fast acting copepod muscle with other vertebrate and invertebrate muscles indicates that the complexity of the tubular system is a function of the myofibrillar geometry, whereas the degree of development of the cisternal system is related to the contraction speed of the muscle.

A STUDY OF THE NUCLEOSIDE TRI- AND DIPHOSPHATE ACTIVITIES OF RAT LIVER MICROSOMES

Rat liver microsomes catalyze the hydrolysis of the triphosphates of adenosine, guanosine, uridine, cytidine, and inosine into the corresponding diphosphates and inorganic orthophosphate. The activities are stimulated by Na₂S₂O₄, and inhibited by atebrin, chlorpromazine, sodium azide, and deaminothyroxine. Sodium deoxycholate inhibits the ATPase activity in a progressive manner; the release of orthophosphate from GTP and UTP is stimulated by low, and inhibited by high, concentrations of deoxycholate, and that from CTP and ITP is unaffected by low, and inhibited by high, concentrations of deoxycholate. Subfractionation of microsomes with deoxycholate into ribosomal, membrane, and soluble fractions reveals a concentration of the triphosphatase activity in the membrane fraction. Rat liver microsomes also catalyze the hydrolysis of the diphosphates of the above nucleosides into the corresponding monophosphates and inorganic orthophosphate. Deoxycholate strongly enhances the GDPase, UDPase, and IDPase activities while causing no activation or even inhibition of the ADPase and CDPase activities. The diphosphatase is unaffected by Na₂S₂O₄ and is inhibited by azide and deaminothyroxine but not by atebrin or chlorpromazine. Upon fractionation of the microsomes with deoxycholate, a large part of the GDPase, UDPase, and IDPase activities is recovered in the soluble fraction. Mechanical disruption of the microsomes with an Ultra Turrax Blender both activates and releases the GDPase, UDPase, and IDPase activities, and the former effect occurs more readily than the latter. The GDPase, UDPase, and IDPase activities of the rat liver cell reside almost exclusively in the microsomal fraction, as revealed by comparative assays of the mitochondrial, microsomal, and final supernatant fractions of the homogenate. The microsomes exhibit relatively low nucleoside monophosphatase and inorganic pyrophosphatase activities, and these are unaffected by deoxycholate or mechanical treatment. Different approaches toward the function of the liver microsomal nucleoside tri- and diphosphatases are reported, and the possible physiological role of the two enzymes is discussed.

ENZYME-STRUCTURE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM OF RAT LIVER : A Morphological and Biochemical Study

Subfractionation of preparations of rat liver microsomes with a suitable concentration of sodium deoxycholate has resulted in the isolation of a membrane fraction consisting of smooth surfaced vesicles virtually free of ribonucleoprotein particles. The membrane fraction is rich in phospholipids, and contains the microsomal NADH-cytochrome c reductase, NADH diaphorase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and ATPase in a concentrated form. The NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, a NADPH (or pyridine nucleotide unspecific) diaphorase, and cytochrome b₅ are recovered in the clear supernatant fraction. The ribonucleoprotein particles are devoid of, or relatively poor in, the enzyme activities mentioned. Those enzymes which are bound to the membranes vary in activity according to the structural state of the microsomes, whereas those which appear in the soluble fraction are stable. From these findings the conclusion is reached that certain enzymes of the endoplasmic reticulum are tightly bound to the membranes, whereas others either are loosely bound or are present in a soluble form within the lumina of the system. Some implications of these results as to the enzymic organization of the endoplasmic reticulum are discussed.

A period of convergence in the studies on muscle contraction and relaxation: the Ebashi's contribution

The object of this paper is to trace the growth of a fundamental problem that for a decade hindered the development of several lines of muscle research: the molecular mechanism that allows and controls contraction and relaxation of muscle fiber. Emphasis is placed on the difficulties to be overcome; thus the paper records not only the achievements and successes, but also the unavoidable failure and disappointments. The account highlights the essential contribution of Setsuro Ebashi to find the solution of the problem.

The sarcoplasmic reticulum: its discovery and rediscovery

In 1902, Emilio Veratti made the most accurate description, by light microscopy, of a reticular structure in the sarcoplasm. However, this structure was almost lost to man's knowledge for more than 50 years and was rediscovered during the 1960s, following the introduction of electron microscopy. Since then, biochemistry, electron microscopy and electrophysiology have unravelled the crucial role of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the control of muscle contraction.

The organization of the flight muscle in a dragonfly, Aeshna sp. (Odonata)

The structure of the flight muscle of a dragonfly (Aeshna sp.) has been studied with the light and electron microscopes, and the organization of this specialized tubular muscle is described. This tissue is characterized by the great development of the sarcosomes, which are slab-like and are arranged within the fiber opposite each sarcomere of the radially oriented lamellar myofibrils. A well developed and highly ordered sarcoplasmic reticulum is present, consisting of perforated curtain-like cisternae extending across the face of each fibril, together with tubular invaginations of the fiber plasma membrane situated within indentations in the sarcosomes and traversing the fibril surface midway between the Z and M levels. The structure of these fibers, and notably the organization of the reticulum, is compared with that of other types of muscle, and the possible role of the two components of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the contraction physiology of the dragonfly muscle fiber is discussed.

Cytochemical studies of adenosine triphosphatases in skeletal muscle fibers

Mitochondrial ATPase and myosin ATPase have been localized in the muscle fibers of the rat diaphragm. The principal fiber type possesses a structure favorable for making this cytochemical separation with the light microscope. This small red fiber has numerous large, nearly spherical, mitochondria (ca. 1.5 µ) which are aggregated beneath the sarcolemma. In the interior of the fiber, smaller paired filamentous mitochondria (ca. 0.2 µ diameter) are aligned with the I band. Distribution of mitochondria was determined by sudanophilia, succinic dehydrogenase activity, and by direct examination with the electron microscope. ATPase activity at pH 7.2 is located in the large peripheral mitochondria and in the smaller mitochondria associated with the I band. The alignment of the small mitochondria results in a discrete cross-striated appearance in fibers stained for this enzymic activity. This mitochondrial ATPase does not cleave adenosine diphosphate or adenosine monophosphate; it is not sulfhydryl dependent and, in fact, is enhanced by the mercurial, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. It requires magnesium ion and is stimulated by dinitrophenol. It is inhibited after formol-calcium fixation, but the residual activity is demonstrable by lengthening the incubation time. At pH 9.4 the ATPase is myofibrillar in origin and is located in the A bands. This myosin ATPase activity is sulfhydryl-dependent. Mercurial at this high pH has an interesting dual effect: it suppresses myosin ATPase but evokes mitochondrial ATPase activity. A third type of ATPase activity can be demonstrated, especially in the large white fibers. This activity occurs at pH 7.2 in the presence of cysteine. Its position is manifested cytochemically as a fine reticular pattern which surrounds individual myofibrils. The distribution suggests that it may originate in the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

On the structural continuities of the transverse tubular system of rabbit and human myocardial cells

An electron microscopic study of rabbit and human myocardium provides further evidence of the existence of two distinct components of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. A thin-walled tubular system (termed longitudinal system) is arranged in anastomosing channels sur-surrounding each sarcomere and has transverse and possibly also longitudinal connections with the tubules of adjacent sarcomeres. A thick-walled tubular system traverses the myofiber transversely at the level of the Z lines of the myofibrils. The structure of these tubules very closely resembles that of deep sarcolemmal invaginations. Indeed, the membranes of the tubules appear to be continuous with the sarcolemma in favorable sections so that there seems to be an extension of the cell membrane and extracellular fluid to all depths of the myocardial fiber. Certain physiologic data which support this concept are discussed. The calculations of A. V. Hill comparing the kinetics of diffusion and the time-distance relationships between excitation and activation in frog sartorius muscle are reconsidered for cardiac muscle.

NUCLEOSIDE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITIES IN RAT CARDIAC MUSCLE

Localizations of aldehyde-resistant nucleoside phosphatase activities in frozen sections of rat cardiac muscle have been studied by electron microscopy. Activities are higher after fixation with formaldehyde than with glutaraldehyde. After incubation with adenosine triphosphate or inosine diphosphate at pH 7.2, reaction product is found in the "terminal cisternae" or "transverse sacs" of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which, together with the "intermediary vesicles" (T system), constitute the "dyads" or "triads". Reaction product is also present at the membranes of micropinocytotic vacuoles which apparently form from the plasma membrane of capillary endothelial cells and from the sarcolemma. In certain regions of the intercalated discs, reaction product is found within the narrow spaces between sarcolemmas of adjacent cells and within micropinocytotic vacuoles that seem to form from the sarcolemma. With inosine diphosphate, reaction product is also found in other parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. After incubation with cytidine monophosphate at pH 5, reaction product is present in the transverse sacs of sarcoplasmic reticulum, in micropinocytotic vacuoles in capillary endothelium, and in lysosomes of muscle fibers and capillaries. The possible significance of the sarcoplasmic reticulum phosphatases is discussed in relation to the role the reticulum probably plays in moving calcium ions and thereby controlling contraction and relaxation of the muscle fiber.

LOCALIZATION OF CALCIUM-ACCUMULATING STRUCTURES IN STRIATED MUSCLE FIBERS

When frog muscle fibers from which the sarcolemma had been dissected away were perfused with a calcium solution and then treated with oxalate, electron-opaque material, probably calcium oxalate, accumulated in the terminal sacs of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. These regions of calcium accumulation were identified with the intracellular calcium sink that controls the relaxation phase of the contraction-relaxation cycle; their proximity to tubules implicated in intracellular stimulus conduction suggests that they might also be regions from which calcium is released to trigger contraction.

ISOLATION OF RELAXING PARTICLES FROM RAT SKELETAL MUSCLES IN ZONAL CENTRIFUGES

Supernatants of rat skeletal muscle homogenates were fractionated by differential centrifugation and by zonal centrifugation in sucrose density gradients. Cytochrome oxidase was employed as an enzymatic marker for locating mitochondria. The subcellular fractions were also assayed for their ability to prevent the ATP-induced contraction of myofibrils. Both the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions obtained by differential fractionation were found to be rich in such relaxing activity, and the microsomal fraction was appreciably contaminated by mitochondria. In contrast to this, when fractionation was carried out by means of zonal centrifugation (4200 RPM x 205 min. to 40,000 RPM x 60 min.), relaxing activity was found to be associated only with particles having the sedimentation characteristics of microsomes (s_20,w estimated to be between 370 and 1880S). Relaxing activity was not detected in the regions of the gradient containing either the starting sample zone (soluble phase) or the mitochondrial peak. The microsomal relaxing particles showed negligible cytochrome oxidase activity.

INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN ACTIVE TRANSPORT AND CONTRACTURE IN UTERINE TISSUES

A study of the effects of several procedures known to interfere with active transport in rat, rabbit, and cat uterine muscle has revealed certain differences between muscles and between inhibitory procedures. Ouabain, fluoride, and sudden cooling caused an initial contracture followed by subsequent loss of contractility in circumstances in which they inhibit active transport. Removal of external potassium increased and subsequently decreased isometric contractions at 37 °C of rat and cat uterine segments, and in most of rat uterine horns caused contracture at 24 °C followed by relaxation and loss of contractility. The parallelism between the initial contracture and inhibition of active transport extends to the necessity for a concentration of 10−4 M to 10−3 M ouabain for initiation of both in rat uteri in contrast to the effectiveness of 10−7 M to 10−5 M in rabbit and cat uteri. The contracture induced by ouabain in rat uteri was potentiated by a decrease in external potassium and prevented by an increase. Removal of the glucose from the medium for 1 to 2 minutes potentiated both ouabain and potassium depletion contractures, but did not significantly increase potassium loss. Lower concentrations of NaF caused contracture in the absence of glucose. The contractures induced by NaF and by cold were obtained in uteri depolarized by K2SO4 Ringer solution and none were prevented by selective antagonists to acetylcholine, adrenaline, histamine, or serotonin. All the procedures producing contracture were ineffective in uteri depleted of calcium. All are known to interfere with the activity of the Mg- and Na + K-activated membrane ATPase believed to be involved in active transport. Therefore, it is proposed that inhibition of this enzyme in uteri causes contracture. In view of other work, this is presumed to occur by failure of active extrusion or failure of binding of calcium at the cell surface leading to a net calcium influx. The potentiation of contractures by removal of glucose occurs too rapidly to derive from glucose or glycogen depletion and is attributed to interaction between glucose transport and cation transport mechanisms.In contrast to ouabain, fluoride, potassium depletion, and cold, iodoacetate and dinitrophenol inhibit active transport and contractility in uterine muscle without causing an initial contracture. It is proposed that these substances act either by decreasing energy supply or by acting at a non-membrane site different from that at which substances causing contracture act. Cyanide was less effective as an inhibitor of either process, and oxidative metabolism is presumed not to be essential for energy supply in these tissues. In general, the loss of ability of uterine muscle to contract on chemical stimulation was directly related to the extent of potassium depletion. Both potassium depletion and loss of contractility were attributed to decreased energy supply.Ouabain in concentrations insufficient to cause contracture or potassium loss in rat uteri prevented rhythmic activity.

CYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF LACTIC DEHYDROGENASE IN WHITE SKELETAL MUSCLE

The limitations of the conventional histochemical methods for localization of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in white skeletal muscle have been analyzed quantitatively. It is demonstrated that more than 80 per cent of LDH diffuses into the incubation medium within the first 10 minutes of incubation. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the addition of phenazine methosulfate (PMS) to the ingredients of the histochemical reaction for LDH increases substantially the capacity of the white muscle extract to reduce Nitro-BT. Based on these observations, a modified method of cytochemical localization of LDH has been developed. This method prevents the leakage of LDH from tissue sections by the application of all the ingredients of the histochemical reaction to tissue sections in a thin gelatin film. The incubation mixture contains PMS so that the staining system is independent of tissue diaphorase. The application of this method to the adductor magnus muscle of the rabbit revealed a fine reticulum in the sarcoplasm of all muscle fibers, in addition to the staining of mitochondria. The distribution of the staining suggests that LDH is localized in the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE FINE STRUCTURE AND METABOLIC ACTIVITY OF NORMAL AND GLYCERINATED VENTRICULAR MUSCLE OF TOAD

Fine structure, enzyme activity, and transmembrane potentials of normal and glycerinated ventricular muscle of the toad were studied. For electron microscopy, osmium tetroxide and Araldite were used. Plasma membranes are firmly attached to Z bands. Both the T system and sarcoplasmic reticulum are poorly developed. Small bodies of medium density may be lysosomes derived from the Golgi zone. Denser bodies may be catecholamine granules. Fine tubules of unknown significance, about 200 A in diameter and of considerable length, lie in conspicuous, although infrequent bundles. Glycogen and mitochondria are abundant. After weeks of extraction in 50 per cent buffered glycerol, most organelles were still present, and much of the gross damage was probably due to osmotic destruction of membranes weakened by extraction. Many mitochondria were well preserved. Plasma and nuclear membranes had diffuse outlines and tended to be broken. Considerable activity remained of the enzymes succinic dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, and phosphorylase after the extraction, but decreased with prolonged soaking. The normal transmembrane potential was about 95 mv; in extracted muscle after 6 weeks it was about 35 mv. The view that glycerinated muscle is a simple system of actin and myosin is clearly wrong. The activity of other organelles still present must affect the actions of many drugs and ions experimentally added.

EVIDENCE FOR EXTRACELLULAR ENZYMIC ACTIVITY OF THE ISOLATED PERFUSED RAT HEART

1. The dissimilation of a number of externally added hexose phosphates and 5'-nucleotides by the perfused rat heart is described, and non-specific esterase and 5'-nucleotidase activity associated with the superficial cell membrane or vascular system has been demonstrated. 2. The rate of production of (14)CO(2) from [U-(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate suggests that oxidation occurred after hydrolysis to glucose. The incorporation of isotope from [U-(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate into glycogen was small, and similar to that obtained with [U-(14)C]glucose as substrate. 3. Glucose 6-phosphate was also partially isomerized to fructose 6-phosphate. Similarly, fructose 6-phosphate was converted mainly into glucose 6-phosphate, but also into glucose and inorganic phosphate. When fructose 1,6-diphosphate was added to the perfusate, a mixture of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and triose phosphates accumulated in the medium approximately in the equilibrium proportions of the phosphohexose-isomerase and triose phosphate-isomerase reactions, together with inorganic phosphate and some glucose. Glucose 1-phosphate was hydrolysed to glucose, but was not converted into glucose 6-phosphate. Leakage of enzymes out into the perfusion fluid did not occur. 4. This demonstration that phosphohexose isomerase, triose phosphate isomerase and aldolase may react with extracellular substrates at an appreciable rate suggests that these enzymes are attached to the cell membrane.

SARCOLEMMAL INVAGINATIONS CONSTITUTING THE T SYSTEM IN FISH MUSCLE FIBERS

Striated muscle fibers from the body and tail myotomes of a fish, the black Mollie, have been examined with particular attention to the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and transverse tubular (or T) system. The material was fixed in osmium tetroxide and in glutaraldehyde, and the images provided by the two kinds of fixatives were compared. Glutaraldehyde fixes a fine structure that is broadly comparable with that preserved by osmium tetroxide alone but differs in some significant details. Especially significant improvements were obtained in the preservation of the T system, that is, the system of small tubules that pervades the fiber at every Z line or A-I junction level. As a result of this improved glutaraldehyde fixation, the T system is now clearly defined as an entity of fine structure distinct from the SR but uniquely associated with the SR and myofibrils. Glutaraldehyde fixation also reveals that the T system is a sarcolemmal derivative that retains its continuity with the sarcolemma and limits a space that is in direct communication with the extracellular environment. These structural features favor the conclusion that the T system plays a prominent role in the fast intracellular conduction of the excitatory impulse. The preservation of other elements of muscle fine structure, including the myofibrils, seems for reasons discussed, to be substantially improved by glutaraldehyde.

Mitosis in sand dollar embryos is inhibited by antibodies directed against the calcium transport enzyme of muscle

Monospecific antibodies to the calcium transport enzyme (alpha-Ca pump) inhibit mitosis when microinjected into sand dollar embryos. Immunoglobulins were raised against the calcium transport enzyme (Ca pump) of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from rat skeletal muscle and guinea pig ileum smooth muscle. Specific antibodies were further isolated from IgG fractions by using electrophoretically purified SR Ca-pump protein as the immobilized ligand for immunoaffinity chromatography. ELISA demonstrated that common antigenic determinants are shared by SR, SR Ca pump (of rat skeletal and guinea pig ileum smooth muscle), and isolated membrane containing "native" mitotic apparatus (MA). Preimmune sera gave negative results in identical control assays. Triton X-100 extraction of MA removes the Ca-pump antigen. SR Ca pump and the MA Ca pump have nearly identical molecular masses as determined by NaDodSO4/PAGE. These alpha-SR Ca-pump IgGs inhibit ATP-dependent Ca2+ sequestration by purified SR and MA membranes. Indirect immunofluorescence of isolated native MA demonstrated coincident localization of the MA Ca pump, sequestered calcium, and membrane vesicles. Fluorescent foci were regionally concentrated within the volumes of the asters and spindle. Microinjection of the anti-Ca-pump IgGs into one of two sister blastomeres at second metaphase resulted in mitotic arrest of the injected cell accompanied by a rapid loss of spindle birefringence. Karyomeres formed and fused to form nuclei either at the site of the metaphase plate or at the position the chromosomes occupied during anaphase A. The cleavage furrow did not develop in the injected cell, while the sister and neighbor cells continued normal mitotic cycling. Injection later in mitosis yielded cells with two nuclei whose cleavage furrow relaxed completely. Routine control injections of boiled immune IgG, preimmune IgG, Wesson oil, buffer, or goat anti-rabbit IgG did not affect mitosis, birefringence of the MA, or cleavage furrow activity.

Isolation and characterization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of rabbit skeletal muscle was studied after isolation of a vesicle fraction and of vesicular subfractions by means of differential and density gradient centrifugations. The different fractions were examined electron microscopically by negative and positive staining; their content in protein and phospholipid and their ability to bind Ca(++) were determined. After homogenization, differential centrifugation yielded a "sarcovesicular fraction" (SVF) which was mainly composed of numerous vesicles of different types mixed with fibrous proteins and mitochondrial fragments. This SVF contained 2% of the protein and 25% of the phospholipid of the initial tissue extract. It had a high Ca(++) binding activity that was preserved for several days by storage in the presence of oxalate. After centrifugations of the SVF on sucrose density gradients, two vesicular subfractions were obtained which were characterized by different sedimentation rates, isopycnic banding, morphology, and composition in protein and phospholipid. (a) The low-density subfraction (rho 1.10-1.12) contained a heterogeneous population of membranous structures: thick- and thin-walled vesicles, tubular formations, triads, and plasma membranes. Its content in protein and phospholipid was very low. (b) The high-density subfraction (rho 1.13-1.17) was a very pure subfraction composed only of thin-walled vesicles. Its content in phospholipid was high and the ratio of phospholipid-phosphorus to protein was about 20. The calcium-binding activity found in the total SVF was recovered only in this latter homogeneous subfraction. The origin of these two subfractions from the SR is discussed.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum of an unusually fast-acting crustacean muscle

The fast-acting, synchronous "remotor" muscle of the lobster second antenna was examined by light and electron microscopy and was found to have a more profuse sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) than any other muscle known. Myofibrils are widely separated from one another and occupy only about one-fourth of the volume of the muscle; most of the remaining volume is taken up by the SR, which resembles the smooth-surfaced reticulum of steroid-secreting cells. Dense granules (0.03-0.1 micro in diameter) are scattered through the reticulum. T-tubules penetrate into the fibers and form dyads along the A bands of myofibrils; however, ferritin-labeling experiments show that the volume of the T-system is very small compared with that of the SR. Myofibrils are approximately 0.5 micro x 1.0 micro in cross section and consist of thick filaments, which appear tubular except at the M region, and thin filaments, which are situated midway between neighboring thick filaments. The ratio of thin to thick filaments is 3:1. The extreme development of the SR in this muscle is discussed in relation to the exceedingly short duration of the contraction-relaxation cycle.

The effects of catabolic and anabolic steroids on amino acid incorporation by skeletal-muscle ribosomes

1. A method is described for the routine isolation of ribosomes from small quantities of skeletal muscle that have been homogenized with the Ultra-Turrax tissue disintegrator. 2. Ribosomes prepared by this method from rats receiving triamcinolone acetonide or rabbits receiving cortisone acetate show a marked fall in their ability to incorporate amino acids when compared with ribosomes from control animals. 3. This fall in activity can be partially prevented in rats by pretreating the animals with an anabolic steroid, steroid 36644-Ba. 4. Testosterone (5mg./kg.) administered to rabbits in conjunction with cortisone acetate is not effective in maintaining ribosomal activity. However, steroid 36644-Ba at one-tenth of an equiandrogenic dose (0.05mg./kg.) is extremely effective. 5. The results with ribosomes isolated from rabbits support the concept that steroid 36644-Ba and possibly all anabolic steroids have an ability to counteract the catabolic action of corticosteroids that is greater than their androgenic activity would suggest.