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Energy metabolism of carp swimming muscles

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Summary

Electromyography has been used to study the recruitment of red, pink and white muscle fibres of the Mirror carp at different swimming speeds. Locomotion below 0.3–0.5 L/S (lengths per second) is achieved primarily by fin movements after which the red myotomal muscle becomes active. Pink muscle fibres are the next type to be recruited at speeds around 1.1–1.5 L/S. White muscle is only used for fast cruising in excess of 2–2.5 L/S and during bursts of acceleration.

Studies of the myofibrillar ATPase activities of these muscles have shown a ratio of 1∶2∶4 for the red, pink and white fibres respectively. The myosin low molecular weight components, which are characteristic of the myosin phenotype, have been investigated by SDS polyacrylamide electrophoresis. The light chain patterns of the pink and white muscles were identical and characteristic of the fast myosin phenotype. Red muscle myosin had a light chain pattern characteristic of slow muscles. It would appear that there is a relationship between the speed of contraction of the fibre types and the locomotory speed at which they are recruited.

The activities of some enzymes of energy metabolism have also been determined in the three muscle types. Enzymes associated with oxidate metabolism have high, intermediate and low activities in the red, pink and white muscles respectively. Pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were considerably higher in the pink than in either red or white muscles. It is suggested that the high capacity for anaerobic glycolysis of the pink muscle is associated with its recruitment for sustained effort at swimming speeds above which the fish can no longer meet all its energy requirements by gas exchange at the gills.

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Abbreviations

EDTA:

ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid

L/S:

lengths, sec−1

LDH:

Lactate dehydrogenase

PFK:

phosphofructokinase

SDS:

sodium dodecyl sulphate

TCA:

trichloroacetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

    I. A. Johnston

  2. Muscle Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Hull, Hull, North Humberside, England

    W. Davison & G. Goldspink

Authors
  1. I. A. Johnston
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  2. W. Davison
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  3. G. Goldspink
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Johnston, I.A., Davison, W. & Goldspink, G. Energy metabolism of carp swimming muscles. J Comp Physiol B 114, 203–216 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00688970

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00688970

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