JBC, Vol. 250, Issue 15, 5976-5981, Aug, 1975
Ontogeny and regulation of fructose diphosphate aldolase isoenzymes in "red" and "white" skeletal muscles of the chick
H. G. Lebherz
The quantitative and qualitative changes in fructose-P2 aldolase isoenzyme
concentrations during development of "red" (leg) and "white" (breast)
skeletal muscles of the chick were investigated. (a) The aldolase C to A
subunit transition associated with muscle development is accompanied by
large increases in aldolase activity (units/g, wet weight) and in specific
catalytic activity (units/mg of protein). The accumulations in both muscle
types follow pseudo-first order kinetics with doubling times of 2 to 3
days. The steady state level of aldolase activity in breast muscle (about
150 units/g) is approximately 4-fold higher than that in leg muscle (about
40 units/g). In contrast to leg muscle, the major increase in aldolase
activity in breast muscle occurs during postembryonic development. (b)
Immunotitration studies demonstrated a direct correlation between increases
in enzyme activity and aldolase A subunits during postembryonic muscle
development. It was calculated that under steady state conditions, aldolase
A4 comprises about 1 percent and 0.26 percent, respectively, of the total
wet weight of breast and leg muscle. (c) regulation at the level of protein
synthesis in effecting the postembryonic accumulation of aldolase A4 in the
muscle types was investigated in short term amino acid incorporation
experiments. After a 1-hour pulse with [3H]leucine, aldolase from breast
and leg muscle was isolated in a single step by affinity chromatography on
phosphocellulose. Incorporation of tritum into aldolase A4 and into soluble
or total protein was compared. Between 4 and 38 days after hatching, the
rate of aldolase synthesis relative to the synthesis of soluble muscle
protein increased about 7- and 3-fold, respectively, in breast and leg
muscle. Relative to total protein, incorporation of [3H]leucine into A4
increased about 3-fold in breast muscle, and decreased slightly in leg
muscle between 5 and 25 days after hatching. By 3 weeks after hatching,
incorporation of [3H]leucine into aldolase A4 relative to incorporation
into total protein was about 6-fold higher in breast muscle than it was in
leg muscle. The present work, as well as other recent studies, are
discussed in relation to the mechanism involved in controlling
tissue-specific and stage-specific levels of aldolase isoenzymes in animal
cells.