Biochemical Changes in Progressive Muscular Dystrophy. IX. Synthesis of Native Myosin, Actin, and Tropomyosin in the Skeletal Muscle of Mouse as a Function of Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

The synthesis of native myosin, actin, and tropomyosin in the skeletal muscle of normal and hereditary dystrophic mice was studied with the help of direct counting as well as acrylamide-gel electrophoresis and protein purification procedures.Labelling of the nascent protein indicated that heavier polysomes from the normal muscle were able to incorporate more radioactivity into the protein than the heavier polysomes from the dystrophic muscles. Contrary to this, lighter polysomes in the dystrophic muscle demonstrated higher incorporation as compared to the normal.Results of in vivo and in vitro incorporation as well as those of acrylamide-gel electrophoresis and protein purification procedures indicated that synthesis of myosin decreased in the dystrophic muscle. The synthesis of actin did not show a significant change either in normal or dystrophic muscle, whereas that of tropomyosin increased sharply in the dystrophic mouse muscle.