Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Myosin heavy chain composition of the human lateral pterygoid and digastric muscles in young adults and elderly

  • Published:
Journal of Muscle Research & Cell Motility Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The myosin heavy chain (MyHC) content in different parts of, two jaw opening muscle, the human lateral pterygoid and the digastric muscles of five young adult and five elderly subjects (mean age 22 and 73 years, respectively) was determined, using gel electrophoresis and immunohistochemical methods. The lateral pterygoid of both young and elderly contained predominantly slow MyHC, and fast A MyHC was the major fast isoform. In contrast, the digastric was composed of slow, fast A and fast X MyHCs in about equal proportions in both age groups. About half of the lateral pterygoid fibres contained mixtures of slow and fast MyHCs, often together with α-cardiac MyHC. In the digastric, co-existence of slow and fast MyHCs was rare, and α-cardiac MyHC was lacking. On the other hand, co-expression of fast A and fast X MyHCs was found more often in the digastric than in the lateral pterygoid. In both age groups about half of the digastric IIB fibres contained solely fast X MyHC. In the lateral pterygoid, type IIB fibres with pure fast X MyHC was found in only one subject. The lateral pterygoid in elderly showed a significant amount of fibres with solely fast A MyHC, which were occasionally found in young adults. In the digastric, no significant differences were found between young and elderly, although the muscles of elderly contained lower mean value of slow MyHC, as compared to that of young muscles. It is concluded that the lateral pterygoid and the digastric muscles differ not only in the MyHC composition but also in modifications of the MyHC phenotypes during aging, suggesting that they have separate roles in jaw opening function.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altman DG (1991) Practical Statistics for Medical Research. 1st edn. (pp. 194–197, 334–336) Chapman & Hall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bär A and Pette D (1988) Three fast myosin heavy chains in adult rat skeletal muscle. FEBS Lett 235: 153–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bottinelli R, Betto R, Schiaffno S and Reggiani C (1994) Unloaded shortening velocity and myosin heavy chain and alkali light chain isoform composition in rat skeletal muscle fibres. J Physiol 478: 341–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bredman JJ, Wessels A, Weijs WA, Korfage JA, Soffers CA and Moorman AF (1991) Demonstration of ‘cardiac-specific’ myosin heavy chain in masticatory muscles of human and rabbit. Histochem J 23: 160–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooke MH and Kaiser KK (1970) Muscle fiber types: how many and what kind? Arch Neurol 23: 369–379.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke RE (1981) Motor units: anatomy, physiology and functional organization. In: Brooks VB (ed.) Handbook of Physiology. Section 1. The Nervous System. Motor Control. (Vol II, pp. 345–422) American Physiological Society, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Browne GS, Eriksson P-O, Laurent C and Thornell L-E (1988) Adult human masseter muscle fibers express myosin isozymes characteristic of development. Muscle Nerve 11: 610–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Browne GS, Barbet JP and Thornell L-E (1990) Myosin heavy and light chain expression during human skeletal muscle development and precocious muscle maturation induced by thyroid hormone. Anat Embryol 181: 513–522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carraro U and Catani C (1983) A sensitive SDS-PAGE method separating myosin heavy isoforms of rat skeletal muscles reveals the heterogeneous nature of the embryonic myosin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 116: 793–802.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubowitz V (1985) Muscle Biopsy-A Practical Approach. 2nd edn. (pp. 34–102) Bailliére Tindall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engel WK and Cunningham GG (1963) Rapid examination of muscle tissue. An improved trichrome method for fresh-frozen biopsy sections. Neurology 13: 919–923.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ennion S, Sant'ana Pereira J, Sargeant AJ, Young A and Goldspink G (1995) Characterization of human skeletal muscle fibres according to the myosin heavy chains they express. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 16: 35–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A, Ringqvist M and Thornell L-E (1980) The reliability of histochemical fibre typing of human necropsy muscles. Histochemistry 65: 193–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A, Ringqvist M and Thornell L-E (1981) Special histochemical muscle-fibre characteristics of the human lateral pterygoid muscle. Arch Oral Biol 26: 495–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A, Ringqvist M and Thornell L-E (1982) Histochemical fibre composition of the human digastric muscle. Arch Oral Biol 27: 207–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O (1982) Muscle-fibre composition of the human mandibular locomotor system. Enzyme-histochemical and morphological characteristics of functionally different parts. Swed Dent J 12: 1–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O and Thornell L-E (1983) Histochemical and morphological muscle-fibre characteristics of the human masseter, the medial pterygoid and the temporal muscles. Arch Oral Biol 28: 781–795.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson P-O, Butler-Browne GS and Thornell L-E (1994) Immuno-histochemical characterization of human masseter muscle spindles. Muscle Nerve 17: 31–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gambke B and Rubinstein NA (1984) A monoclonal antibody to the embryonic myosin heavy chain of rat skeletal muscle. J Biol Chem 259: 12092–120100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Havenith MG, Visser R, Schrijvers-van Schendel JM and Bosman FT (1990) Muscle fiber typing in routinely processed skeletal muscle with monoclonal antibodies. Histochemistry 93: 497–499.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes SM, Cho M, Karsch-Mizrachi I, Travis M, Silberstein L, Leinwand LA and Blau HM (1993) Three slow myosin heavy chains sequentially expressed in developing mammalian skeletal muscle. Dev Biol 158: 183–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klitgaard H, Mantoni M, Schiaffino S, Ausoni S, Gorza L, Laurent-Winter C, Schnohr P and Saltin B (1990) Function, morphology and protein expression of ageing skeletal muscle: a cross-sectional study of elderly men with different training backgrounds. Acta physiol Scand 240: 41–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwa SH, Weijs WA and Juch PJ (1995) Contraction characteristics and myosin heavy chain composition of rabbit masseter motor units. Neurophysiol 73: 538–549.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson L (1992) Is the motor unit uniform? Acta Physiol Scand 144: 143–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson L and Moss RL (1993) Maximum velocity of shortening in relation to myosin isoform composition in single fibres from human skeletal muscles. J Physiol 472: 595–614.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson L, Li X and Frontera WR (1997) Effects of aging on shortening velocity and myosin isoform composition in single human skeletal muscle cells. Am J Physiol 272: C638-C649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Legér JO, Bouvagnet P, Pau B, Roncucci R and Legér JJ (1985) Levels of ventricular myosin fragments in human sera after myocardial infarction, determined with monoclonal antibodies to myosin heavy chains. Eur J Clin Invest 15: 422–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manson JD and Lucas RB (1962) A microradiographic study of age changes in the human mandible. Arch Oral Biol 7: 761–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Møller E (1966) The chewing apparatus. An electromyographic study of the action of the muscles of mastication and its correlation to facial morphology. Acta Physiol Scand (Suppl 280) (Copenhagen) 69: 1–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monemi M, Eriksson P-O, Dubail I, Butler-Browne GS and Thornell L-E (1996) Fetal myosin heavy chain increases in the human masseter muscle during aging. FEBS Lett 386: 87–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monemi M, Eriksson P-O, Eriksson A and Thornell L-E (1998) Adverse changes in fibre type composition of the human masseter versus biceps brachii muscle during aging. J Neurol Sci 154: 35–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monemi M, Eriksson P-O, Kadi F, Butler-Browne GS and Thornell L-E (1999a) Opposite changes in myosin heavy chain composition of human masseter and biceps brachii muscles during aging. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 20: 351–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monemi M, Eriksson P-O and Thornell L-E (1999b) Diverse changes in fibre type composition of the human lateral pterygoid and digastric muscles. J Neurol Sci 171: 38–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noden DM (1983) The embryonic origins of avian cephalic and cervical muscles and associated connective tissues. Am J Anat 168: 257–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedrosa-Domellöf F, Eriksson P-O, Butler-Browne GS and Thornell L-E (1992) Expression of alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain in mammalian skeletal muscle. Experientia 48: 491–494.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sant'Ana Pereira JA, Ennion S, Sargeant AJ, Moorman AF and Goldspink G (1997) Comparison of the molecular, antigenic and ATPase determinants of fast myosin heavy chains in rat and human: a single-fibre study. Pflugers Arch 435: 151–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiaffino S, Saggin L, Viel A, Ausoni S, Sartore S and Gorza L (1986) Muscle fiber types identified by monoclonal antibodies to myosin heavy chains. In: Benzi G, Packer L and Siliprandi N (eds) Biochemical Aspects of Physical Exercise. (pp. 27–34) Elsevier, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiaffino S, Gorza L, Sartore S, Saggin L, Ausoni S, Vianello M, Gundersen K and Lomo T (1989) Three myosin heavy chain isoforms in type 2 skeletal muscle fibres. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 10: 197–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sciote JJ, Rowlerson AM, Hopper C and Hunt NP (1994) Fibre type classification and myosin isoforms in the human masseter muscle. J Neurol Sci 126: 15–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smerdu V, Karsch-Mizrachi I, Campione M, Leinwand L and Schiaffiano S (1994) Type IIx myosin heavy chain transcripts are expressed in type IIb fibers of human skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol 267: C1723-C1728.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stål P, Eriksson P-O, Schiaffino S, Butler-Browne GS and Thornell L-E (1994) Differences in myosin composition between human oro-facial, masticatory and limb muscles: enzyme-, immunohisto-and biochemical studies. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 15: 517–534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS (1991) Correlation between myofibrillar ATPase activity and myosin heavy chain composition in single human muscle fibres. Histochemistry 96: 21–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberger LA (1979) Immunohistochemistry. 2nd edn., Wiley Medical, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss A, Schiaffino S and Leinwand LA (1999) Comparative sequence analysis of the complete human sarcomeric myosin heavy chain family: implications for functional diversity. J Mol Biol 290: 61–75.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology and Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    M. Monemi & P.-O. Eriksson

  2. Department of Anatomy, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    J.-X. Liu & L.-E. Thornell

  3. Centre of Musculoskeletal Research, National Institute for Working Life, Umeå, Sweden

    J.-X. Liu, L.-E. Thornell & P.-O. Eriksson

Authors
  1. M. Monemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J.-X. Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. L.-E. Thornell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P.-O. Eriksson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Monemi, M., Liu, JX., Thornell, LE. et al. Myosin heavy chain composition of the human lateral pterygoid and digastric muscles in young adults and elderly. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 21, 303–312 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005632624826

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005632624826

Keywords

Search

Navigation