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Home / Equine Research Bank / Can J Vet Res / Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is heterogeneously distribute...
Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire2005; 69(1); 46-52;

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is heterogeneously distributed in equine myofibers and highly expressed in endurance trained horses.

Abstract: Mammalian skeletal muscle expresses splice variants of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Skeletal muscles have a metabolically heterogeneous population of myofibers, and fiber composition in equine skeletal muscle is correlated with athletic ability in endurance events. In this study, we investigated whether nNOS expression in equine skeletal muscle is related to fiber type and endurance training. Biopsy samples obtained from the gluteus medius of sedentary- (SH) and endurance-trained (TH) horses were examined for the electrophoretic mobility of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and NOS activity. Serial tissue cross-sections were stained for myosin ATPase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) reductase, and also immunostained for nNOS. The gluteus medius of TH had higher levels of nNOS expression and activity when compared to muscle from SH. In SH, nNOS was restricted to the subsarcolemmal area while in TH nNOS was also present at cytoplasmic sites. A splice variant of nNOS was heterogeneously distributed among the different myofibers, its expression being higher in fast-oxidative-glycolytic type IIA fibers than in fast-glycolytic type IIX fibers and absent in slow-twitch type I fibers. Trained horses had a significantly higher relative content of type IIA fibers, a greater oxidative capacity, and a lower percentage of type IIX fibers when compared with SH. The differences in muscle fiber typing between the 2 groups of horses reflected alterations that probably resulted from the endurance-training program. Overall, these results show that nNOS is differentially expressed and localized in the gluteus medius according to the fiber type and the athletic conditioning of the horses.
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Publication Date: 2005-03-05 PubMed ID: 15745222PubMed Central: PMC1142169
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates how neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), a protein that helps control the release of nitric oxide, is distributed among different muscle fibres in horses and how it is linked to endurance training.

Study Overview and Methodology

  • The researchers focused on nNOS and its splice variants, which are different forms of the protein produced from the same gene, in equine (horse) skeletal muscle.
  • Skeletal muscles contain different types of myofibers, muscle fibers that contribute to the horse’s metabolic versatility and athletic potential, particularly in endurance events.
  • To investigate the relationship between nNOS expression, myofiber type, and endurance training, the researchers took biopsy samples from two groups of horses. The first group consisted of sedentary horses (SH) and the second was made up of endurance-trained horses (TH).
  • They tested these samples for the electrophoretic mobility (movement) of the myosin heavy chain, a protein that helps initiate muscle contraction, and NOS activity.
  • The team also examined tissue sections for myosin ATPase, an enzyme crucial to muscle fiber function, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) reductase, another enzyme important in energy metabolism, and nNOS using immunostaining techniques.

Findings

  • Tissue from the gluteus medius, a major muscle located in the horse’s hip area, showed higher levels of nNOS expression and activity in the endurance-trained horses compared to the sedentary horses.
  • In sedentary horses, the distribution of nNOS was mainly near the subsarcolemmal area (the area just beneath the cell membrane), whereas in endurance-trained horses, nNOS was found in cytoplasmic locations within the muscle cell.
  • The splice variant of nNOS was distributed differently among the various myofibers. It was found at higher levels in fast-oxidative-glycolytic type IIA fibers, which are responsible for quick but sustainable muscle contractions, compared to fast-glycolytic type IIX fibers, which generate rapid, shorter-lived contractions. Notably, there was no expression of nNOS in the slow-twitch type I fibers that provide long-term, low-intensity muscle contractions.
  • The endurance-trained horses had a more significant relative content of type IIA fibers, higher oxidative capacity (which is crucial in endurance events), and a smaller percentage of type IIX fibers compared to the sedentary horses.
  • The observed differences in muscle fiber composition between the two horse groups likely reflect changes brought about by the endurance training program.

Conclusions

  • The study demonstrates nNOS is expressed and localized differently within the gluteus medius muscle, depending on the type of muscle fiber and the level of the horse’s athletic conditioning.
  • These findings may contribute towards a better understanding of the molecular and biomechanical adaptations that occur as a result of endurance training in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Gondim FJ, Modolo LV, Campos GE, Salgado I. (2005). Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is heterogeneously distributed in equine myofibers and highly expressed in endurance trained horses. Can J Vet Res, 69(1), 46-52.

Publication

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
ISSN: 0830-9000
NlmUniqueID: 8607793
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 69
Issue: 1
Pages: 46-52

Researcher Affiliations

Gondim, Fernando J
  • Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, CEP 13083-970, São Paulo, Brazil.
Modolo, Luzia V
    Campos, Gerson E R
      Salgado, I

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Buttocks
        • Case-Control Studies
        • Female
        • Horses / metabolism
        • Horses / physiology
        • Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
        • Male
        • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / enzymology
        • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / metabolism
        • Muscle, Skeletal / anatomy & histology
        • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
        • Myosin Heavy Chains / analysis
        • Nitric Oxide Synthase / metabolism
        • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
        • Physical Endurance / physiology

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        Citations

        This article has been cited 1 times.
        1. Fontana K, Campos GE, Staron RS, da Cruz-Höfling MA. Effects of anabolic steroids and high-intensity aerobic exercise on skeletal muscle of transgenic mice. PLoS One 2013;8(11):e80909.
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