Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T21:51:12.704Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Developmental changes in the biochemical composition of foetal and neonatal pig muscle with special reference to DNA synthesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Linda J. Farmer
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
W. S. Mackie
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
P. J. Ritchie
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB

Summary

DNA and protein concentrations were measured in selected muscles from foetal and neonatal pigs; the protein: DNA ratios of hind-limb muscles were similar to those of the forelimb from 83 days gestation to 27 days after birth. The ratios increased during the perinatal period, providing evidence that maturation of muscle began in the last few days of pregnancy. RNA concentration, cathepsin D activity and tritiated thymidine incorporation were measured in muscles from the neonatal animals and the results indicated a surge of biosynthetic activity in the first days of life. Values obtained from the hind- and forelimb muscles were similar throughout the period of study with RNA: DNA ratio, cathepsin D activity and thymidine incorporation reaching maximum values at 4 days of age. A considerable proportion of thymidine incorporation was attributed to the mitotic activity of satellite cells.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allbrook, D. B., Han, M. F. & Hellmuth, A. E. (1971). Population of muscle satellite cells in relation to age and mitotic activity. Pathology 3, 233243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barrett, A. J. (1972). Lysosomal enzymes. In Lysosomes – A Laboratory Handbook (ed. Dingle, J. T.), pp. 123125. Amsterdam: North-Holland.Google Scholar
Bird, J. W. C. & Schwartz, W. N. (1977). Degradation of myofibrillar protein by cathepsin D. Federation Proceedings. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 36, 555.Google Scholar
Bradley, R. & Wells, G. A. H. (1978). Developmental muscle disorders in the pig. In The Veterinary Handbook (ed. Grumsell, C. S. and Hill, F. W. G.), 18th issue, pp. 144157. Bristol: Scientechnica.Google Scholar
Burton, K. (1956). A study of the conditions and mechanism of the diphenylamine reaction for the colorimetric estimation of deoxyribonuoleic acid. Biochemical Journal 62, 315323.Google Scholar
Cheek, D. B., Holt, A. B., Hill, D. E. & Talbert, J. L. (1971). Skeletal muscle cell mass and growth: the concept of the deoxyribonucleic acid unit. Paediatric Research 5, 312328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davidson, J., Mathieson, J. & Boyne, A. W. (1970). The use of automation in determining nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method with final calculations by computer. Analyst, London 95, 183191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Martino, G. N. & Goldberg, A. L. (1978). Thyroid hormones control lysosomal activities in liver and skeletal muscle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 75, 13691373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deutsch, K. & Done, J. T. (1971). Congenital myofibrillar hypoplasia of piglets: ultrastructure of affected fibres. Research in Veterinary Science 12, 176177.Google Scholar
Dickerson, J. T. W. & Widdowson, E. M. (1960). Chemical changes in skeletal muscle during development. Biochemical Journal 74, 247257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Enesco, M. & Leblond, C. P. (1962). Increase in cell number as a factor in the growth of the organs and tissues of the young male rat. Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology 10, 530562.Google Scholar
Enesco, M. & Puddy, D. (1964). Increase in the number of nuclei and weight in muscle of rats at various ages. American Journal of Anatomy 114, 235244.Google Scholar
Ezekwe, M. O. & Martin, R. J. (1975). Cellular characteristics of skeletal muscle in selected strains of pigs and mice and unselected controls. Growth 39, 95106.Google ScholarPubMed
Gilbreath, R. L. & Trout, J. R. (1973). Effects of early postnatal dietary protein restriction and repletion on porcine muscle growth and composition. Journal of Nutrition 103, 16371645.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hakkarainen, J. (1975). Developmental changes of protein, RNA, DNA, lipid and glycogen in the liver, skeletal muscle and brain of the piglet. Ada Veterinaria Scandinavica Supplement, no. 59, 1198.Google Scholar
Hogberg, M. G. & Zimmerman, D. R. (1979). Effect of protein nutrition in young pigs on developmental changes in the body and skeletal muscles during growth. Journal of Animal Science 49, 472481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMeekan, C. P. (1940). Growth and development in the pig, with special reference to carcass quality characters. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 30, 276343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mauro, A. (1961). The satellite cells of skeletal muscle fibres. Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology 9, 483495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muir, A. R., Kanji, A. H. M. & Allbrook, D. (1965). The structure of satellite cells in skeletal muscle. Journal of Anatomy 99, 435444.Google ScholarPubMed
Munro, H. N. & Fleck, A. (1966). Recent developments in the measurement of nucleic acid in biological materials. Analyst, London 91, 7888.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patterson, D. S. P., Sweasey, D., Allen, W. M., Berrett, S. & Thurley, D. C. (1969). The chemical composition of neonatal piglet muscle and some observations on the biochemistry of myofibrillar hypoplasia occurring in otherwise normal litters. Zentralblait für Veterinarmedizin 16A, 741753.Google Scholar
Perry, S. V. (1970). Biochemical changes during the development of skeletal muscle. In Muscle Diseases, Proceedings of the International Congress, Milan 1969 (ed. Walton, J. N., Canal, N. and Scarlatto, G.), pp. 668675. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica.Google Scholar
Robinson, D. (1969). The cellular response of porcine skeletal muscle to prenatal and postnatal nutritional stress. Growth 33, 231240.Google Scholar
Sakai, J. & Horiuchi, S. (1979). Characterization of cathepsin D in the regressing tadpole tail of bullfrog Rana catesbeiana. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B 62, 269273.Google Scholar
Swatland, H. J. (1973). Muscle growth in the foetal and neonatal pig. Journal of Animal Science 37, 536545.Google Scholar
Swatland, H. J. (1974). Developmental disorders of skeletal muscle in cattle, pigs and sheep. Veterinary Bulletin, Weybridge 44, 179202.Google Scholar
Ward, P. S. (1978). The splayleg syndrome in new-born pigs: a review. Veterinary Bulletin, Weybridge 48, part I, pp. 279295; part II, pp. 381–399.Google Scholar