Plantaris muscle adaptation to atrophy generated by disuse: an ultrastructural study

F.M. Giordano; E. Vizziello; J.G. Tidball; E. Falcieri; D. Curzi

doi:10.4081/microscopie.2014.4992

Authors

F.M. Giordano Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Urbino, Italy.
E. Vizziello Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Urbino, Italy.
J.G. Tidball Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
E. Falcieri Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Urbino; Institute of Molecular Genetics and Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, Italy.
D. Curzi
davide.curzi@uniurb.it
Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Urbino, Italy.

Muscle atrophy is a mechanism which induces muscle mass loss, through an increased protein degradation and a decreased synthesis. This alteration compromises the muscle contractile capacity and is implied in numerous physiological and pathological conditions (e.g. denervation, aging, bed rest, dystrophies and myopathies). The aim of this work is to analyze the ultrastructural changes generated by disuse on rat plantaris muscle, mainly composed by fast fibers. Eight animals were equally assigned to control and unloaded group, and the treated rats were tail-suspended for 10 days. After suspension, the animals of both groups were euthanized and the hind-limb muscles were processed for electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy observations show morphological modifications in the unloaded group respect to the control group, such as sarcomere disorganization, continuity lack among myofilaments and Z-line thickening. In the fiber cytosol, swollen mitochondria and dilated triads can be observed, as well as a growing amount of glycogen, which suggests a possible fiber shift. Therefore our findings reveal macroscopic and microscopic modifications induced by disuse, which concern both contractile and energetic system.

Giordano, F., Vizziello, E., Tidball, J., Falcieri, E., & Curzi, D. (2014). Plantaris muscle adaptation to atrophy generated by disuse: an ultrastructural study. Microscopie, 22(2), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.4081/microscopie.2014.4992

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