The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 96, 684-692, Copyright © 1983 by The Rockefeller University Press
Inhibition of contraction of cultured muscle fibers results in increased turnover of myofibrillar proteins but not of intermediate- filament proteins
NJ Crisona and RC Strohman
Muscle fibers are maintained in culture in a fully contractile state and
are relaxed by the addition of 10(-7) M tetrodotoxin (TTX). This toxin
binds to muscle membrane Na+- channels, abolishes spontaneous contractions
and causes failure of the fiber to accumulate myosin heavy chains. These
effects are reversible on removal of TTX. Synthesis and accumulation
kinetics have been obtained for myofibrillar and for cytoplasmic filament
proteins in normal, active muscle and in TTX- relaxed muscle fibers in
culture. In relaxed fibers the synthesis of most proteins remained normal
or slightly elevated. However, the accumulation of all myofibrillar
proteins examined was markedly inhibited in TTX-treated cultures, whereas
the accumulation of cytoplasmic filament proteins was normal or slightly
elevated. Myofibrillar proteins examined were alpha-actin, troponin-C,
myosin fast light chain 1, myosin fast light chain 2, alpha,
beta-tropomyosins and the phosphorylated forms of tropomyosin and fast
light chain 2. Cytoplasmic filament proteins studied were vimentin, alpha,
beta-desmin and beta, alpha-actin. We also examined the synthesis and
accumulation of six unidentified muscle-specific proteins and nine
unidentified nonmuscle-specific proteins. Most of these proteins showed a
normal accumulation pattern in TTX-relaxed fibers. We concluded that muscle
fibers made inactive by TTX display an increased instability of all
myofibrillar proteins while cytoplasmic filament proteins and cytoplasmic
proteins in general are relatively unaffected. We suggest that TTX
interferes, in a manner as yet unidentified, with assembly and normal
stability of myofibrils. Decreased assembly and/or increased instability of
myofibrils would lead to increased rates of myofibrillar protein
degradation.