PUBLICATION

Tonic fibres in axial muscle of cyprinid fish larvae: their definition, possible origins and functional importance

Authors
Stoiber, W., Haslett, J.R., Steinbacher,P., Freimuller, M., and Sanger, A.M.
ID
ZDB-PUB-021018-10
Date
2002
Source
Anatomy and embryology   205(2): 113-124 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
teleosts, fish muscle, fibre types, myogenesis, patterning
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Succinate Dehydrogenase/metabolism
  • Swimming/physiology
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • MEF2 Transcription Factors
  • Transcription Factors/genetics
  • Transcription Factors/metabolism
  • Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch/cytology*
  • Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch/metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Ca(2+) Mg(2+)-ATPase/metabolism
  • Myogenic Regulatory Factors
  • Muscle, Skeletal/embryology*
  • Muscle, Skeletal/enzymology
  • Muscle, Skeletal/growth & development*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cyprinidae/physiology*
  • MyoD Protein/genetics
  • MyoD Protein/metabolism
  • Feeding Behavior/physiology
  • Embryonic and Fetal Development
(all 25)
PubMed
12021913 Full text @ Anat. Embryol.
Abstract
Teleost fish are known to develop small populations of muscle fibres that are assumed to be tonic in nature although their contractile properties and many other characteristics remain unknown. Here we attempt to resolve some of the ambiguity and confusions surrounding the definition and functional role of tonic fibres in teleosts and provide new information on their ontogeny. We investigate the differentiation of tonic muscle fibres in three species of cyprinid fish using electron microscopy, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The fine structure of the fibres defined as tonic in the larvae used in this study complies with patterns known from studies in teleost adults. This allows formal definition of tonic fibres in cyprinid larvae. The tonic fibres may be recognized by a variety of features: (1) by their characteristic position along the medial confines of the red muscle insertion at the horizontal septum, (2) their fine structure, including solid clusters of irregularly cleaved myofibrils, thick and wavy Z-lines, and T-tubules at the A-band/I-band transitions, (3) their histochemical features, specifically weak but obvious staining for mATPase after alkaline preincubation, and lack of SDH activity in the more advanced larval stages, (4) their unique immunological properties, being the only fibre type in the myotome that reacts with a serum against chicken tonic myosin (anti-T2). Expression of tonic characters usually begins within a few fibres in the dorsal domain of the superficial red muscle insertion at the horizontal septum and hence involves a high degree of dorsoventral polarity. The present evidence indicates that tonic fibres arise from separate myogenic stem cells rather than by transdifferentiation from existing red fibres. First appearance of tonic fibres during ontogeny correlates closely with the onset of free swimming and exogeneous feeding. We use this fact to argue that tonic fibres are probably a prerequisite for efficient locomotory control during prey capture, shoaling and predator avoidance.
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Mutations / Transgenics
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Citation
Stoiber, W., Haslett, J.R., Steinbacher,P., Freimuller, M., and Sanger, A.M. (2002) Tonic fibres in axial muscle of cyprinid fish larvae: their definition, possible origins and functional importance. Anatomy and embryology. 205(2):113-124.