Myosin heavy chains in fibers of TTX-paralyzed rat soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles

The expression of five myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms was analyzed in the rat soleus (Sol) and the deep and superficial medial gastrocnemius (dGM, sGM) muscle after 2 and 4 wk of TTX paralysis by using immunohistochemical techniques. In Sol, after 4 wk of paralysis, fibers containing type I MHC were either pure type I (14%) or also contained developmental (D; 76%), IIa (26%), or IIx (18%) MHC. Values for corresponding fibers in dGM were 8.5, 65, 38, and 22%. Also, by 4 wk an increase was seen in the proportions of fibers expressing IIa MHC in Sol (from 16 to 38%) and dGM (from 24 to 74%). In a region of sGM in control muscles containing pure IIb fibers, a major proportion (86%) remained pure after 4 wk of paralysis, with the remainder coexpressing IIb and IIx. The results indicate that TTX-induced muscle paralysis results in an increase in fibers containing multiple MHC isoforms and that the D isoform appears in a major proportion of these hybrid fibers.