Coexistence of fast-muscle-type and slow-muscle-type troponin T isoforms in single chimeric muscle fibers induced by muscle transplantation

Abstract

Regenerated muscle fibers which appeared after transplantation of chicken slow muscle (anterior latissimus dorsi) into breast fast muscle (pectoralis major) of the same animal were studied by two-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and immunostaining with antisera against fast-muscle-type troponin T and slow-muscle-type troponin T. In the transplanted muscle, degeneration of muscle fibers was followed by regeneration of slow muscle, which was revealed by detecting slow-muscle-type troponin T with the antiserum. Furthermore, coexistence of fast-muscle-type and slow-muscle-type troponin T isoforms in single chimeric muscle fibers composed of partly fast and partly slow fibers was observed in the regenerated muscle. We suggested that the chimeric fibers were originated from the fusion of fast and slow myoblasts during regeneration after muscle transplantation and that two nuclei differently determined in troponin T expression were working independently in a single cell.