Stage-specific changes in calcium concentration in crustacean (Callinectes sapidus) Y-organs during a natural molting cycle, and their relation to the hemolymphatic ecdysteroid titer.

Secretion of ecdysteroid molting hormones by crustacean Y-organs is suppressed by molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH). The suppressive effect of MIH on ecdysteroidogenesis is mediated by one or more cyclic nucleotide second messengers. In addition, existing data indicate that ecdysteroidogenesis is positively regulated (stimulated) by intracellular Ca(++). Despite the apparent critical role of calcium in regulating ecdysteroidogenesis, the level of Ca(++) in Y-organ cells has not been previously measured during a natural molting cycle for any crustacean species. In studies reported here, a fluorescent calcium indicator (Fluo-4) was used to measure Ca(++) levels in Y-organs during a molting cycle of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Mean calcium fluorescence increased 5.8-fold between intermolt (C4) and stage D3 of premolt, and then dropped abruptly, reaching a level in postmolt (A) that was not significantly different from that in intermolt (P>0.05). The level of ecdysteroids in hemolymph of Y-organ donor crabs (measured by radioimmunoassay) showed an overall pattern similar to that observed for calcium fluorescence, rising from 2.9 ng/mL in intermolt to 357.1 ng/mL in D3 (P<0.05), and then dropping to 55.3 ng/mL in D4 (P<0.05). The combined results are consistent with the hypothesis that ecdysteroidogenesis is stimulated by an increase in intracellular Ca(++).

Molecules in motion: influences of diffusion on metabolic structure and function in skeletal muscle.

Metabolic processes are often represented as a group of metabolites that interact through enzymatic reactions, thus forming a network of linked biochemical pathways. Implicit in this view is that diffusion of metabolites to and from enzymes is very fast compared with reaction rates, and metabolic fluxes are therefore almost exclusively dictated by catalytic properties. However, diffusion may exert greater control over the rates of reactions through: (1) an increase in reaction rates; (2) an increase in diffusion distances; or (3) a decrease in the relevant diffusion coefficients. It is therefore not surprising that skeletal muscle fibers have long been the focus of reaction-diffusion analyses because they have high and variable rates of ATP turnover, long diffusion distances, and hindered metabolite diffusion due to an abundance of intracellular barriers. Examination of the diversity of skeletal muscle fiber designs found in animals provides insights into the role that diffusion plays in governing both rates of metabolic fluxes and cellular organization. Experimental measurements of metabolic fluxes, diffusion distances and diffusion coefficients, coupled with reaction-diffusion mathematical models in a range of muscle types has started to reveal some general principles guiding muscle structure and metabolic function. Foremost among these is that metabolic processes in muscles do, in fact, appear to be largely reaction controlled and are not greatly limited by diffusion. However, the influence of diffusion is apparent in patterns of fiber growth and metabolic organization that appear to result from selective pressure to maintain reaction control of metabolism in muscle.

Growth patterns and nuclear distribution in white muscle fibers from black sea bass, Centropristis striata: evidence for the influence of diffusion.

This study investigated the influence of fiber size on the distribution of nuclei and fiber growth patterns in white muscle of black sea bass, Centropristis striata, ranging in body mass from 0.45 to 4840 g. Nuclei were counted in 1 µm optical sections using confocal microscopy of DAPIand Acridine-Orange-stained muscle fibers. Mean fiber diameter increased from 36±0.87 µm in the 0.45 g fish to 280±5.47 µm in the 1885 g fish. Growth beyond 2000 g triggered the recruitment of smaller fibers, thus significantly reducing mean fiber diameter. Nuclei in the smaller fibers were exclusively subsarcolemmal (SS), whereas in larger fibers nuclei were more numerous and included intermyofibrillar (IM) nuclei. There was a significant effect of body mass on nuclear domain size (F=118.71, d.f.=3, P<0.0001), which increased to a maximum in fish of medium size (282-1885 g) and then decreased in large fish (>2000 g). Although an increase in the number of nuclei during fiber growth can help preserve the myonuclear domain, the appearance of IM nuclei during hypertrophic growth seems to be aimed at maintaining short effective diffusion distances for nuclear substrates and products. If only SS nuclei were present throughout growth, the diffusion distance would increase in proportion to the radius of the fibers. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in nuclear distribution and fiber growth patterns are mechanisms for avoiding diffusion limitation during animal growth.

Nuclear DNA content variation associated with muscle fiber hypertrophic growth in decapod crustaceans.

We tested the hypothesis that hypertrophic muscle growth in decapod crustaceans is associated with increases in both the number of nuclei per fiber and nuclear DNA content. The DNA-localizing fluorochrome DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and chicken erythrocyte standards were used with static microspectrophotometry and image analysis to estimate nuclear DNA content in hemocytes and muscle fibers from eight decapod crustacean species: Farfantepenaeus aztecus, Palaemonetes pugio, Panulirus argus, Homarus americanus, Procambarus clarkii, Cambarus bartonii, Callinectes sapidus, and Menippe mercenaria. Mean diploid (2C) values in hemocytes ranged from 3.6 to 11.7 pg. Hemocyte 2C estimates were used to extrapolate ploidy level in the multinucleated skeletal muscle tissue of juvenile and adult animals. Across all species, mean muscle fiber diameters from adult animals were significantly larger than those in juveniles, and nuclear domains were greater in larger fibers. The number of nuclei per fiber increased with increasing fiber size, as hypothesized. Maximum nuclear DNA content per species in muscle ranged from 4C to 32C, consistent with endopolyploidy. Two patterns of body- and fiber-size-dependent shifts in ploidy were observed: four species had a significantly higher ploidy in the larger fibers of adults, while three species exhibited a significantly lower ploidy in adults than in juveniles. Thus, across species, there was no systematic relationship between nuclear domain size and nuclear DNA content.

Structure, molting, and mineralization of the dorsal ossicle complex in the gastric mill of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

This study examined the mesocardiac and urocardiac ossicles in the gastric mill of the blue crab to describe its structure, mineralization, and dynamics throughout the molt cycle, and to assess its possible utility in age determination. Morphologically, the mineralized ossicles are similar to the calcified dorsal carapace having a lamellate structure comprised of sheets of chitin/protein fibrils. Staining with acridine orange showed the same arrangement of an epicuticle, exocuticle, and endocuticle. In much of the mesocardiac and urocardiac ossicles, the endocuticle is very reduced, with the exocuticle predominating; the reverse of the dimensions of the exoskeleton. The lamellate structure of the ossicles was confirmed with scanning electron microscopy; however, elemental mapping by energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays revealed that the ossicles are mineralized with calcium phosphate, in contrast to the calcium carbonate biomineral of the exoskeleton. The medial tooth of the urocardiac ossicle is not calcified, but the epicuticle is highly elaborated and impregnated with silica. Histological examination of the ossicles demonstrated that they are molted during ecdysis, so despite the appearance of bands in the mesocardiac ossicle, it is difficult to hypothesize how the bands could represent a record of chronological age.

Morphology of the Nasal Apparatus in Pygmy (Kogia Breviceps) and Dwarf (K. Sima) Sperm Whales.

Odontocete echolocation clicks are generated by pneumatically driven phonic lips within the nasal passage, and propagated through specialized structures within the forehead. This study investigated the highly derived echolocation structures of the pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (K. sima) sperm whales through careful dissections (N = 18 K. breviceps, 6 K. sima) and histological examinations (N = 5 K. breviceps). This study is the first to show that the entire kogiid sound production and transmission pathway is acted upon by complex facial muscles (likely derivations of the m. maxillonasolabialis). Muscles appear capable of tensing and separating the solitary pair of phonic lips, which would control echolocation click frequencies. The phonic lips are enveloped by the "vocal cap," a morphologically complex, connective tissue structure unique to kogiids. Extensive facial muscles appear to control the position of this structure and its spatial relationship to the phonic lips. The vocal cap's numerous air crypts suggest that it may reflect sounds. Muscles encircling the connective tissue case that surrounds the spermaceti organ may change its shape and/or internal pressure. These actions may influence the acoustic energy transmitted from the phonic lips, through this lipid body, to the melon. Facial and rostral muscles act upon the length of the melon, suggesting that the sound "beam" can be focused as it travels through the melon and into the environment. This study suggests that the kogiid echolocation system is highly tunable. Future acoustic studies are required to test these hypotheses and gain further insight into the kogiid echolocation system.

Structural fiber reinforcement of keel blubber in harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).

This study investigated the functional morphology of the blubber that forms the caudal keels of the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Blubber is a pliant biocomposite formed by adipocytes and structural fibers composed of collagen and elastic fibers. Caudal keels are dorsally and ventrally placed triangular wedges of blubber that define the hydrodynamic profile of the porpoise tailstock. Mechanical tests on carcasses demonstrate that when keels are bent, they strain nonuniformly along their lengths, with highest strains just caudal to the dorsal fin and lowest at the insertion of the flukes. Therefore, caudal keels undergo nonuniform longitudinal deformation while maintaining a stable, triangular cross-sectional shape. Polarizing and transmitted light microscopy techniques were used to investigate blubber's 3D fiber architecture along the length of the dorsal keel. The triangular cross-sectional shape of the keel appears to be maintained by structural fibers oriented to act as tensile stays. The construction of the blubber composite is regionally specific :structural fiber densities and diameters are higher in the relatively stiff caudal region of the keel than in the more deformable cranial keel region. The orientations of structural fibers also change along the length of the keel. Cranially, no fibers are oriented along the long axis, whereas a novel population of longitudinally oriented fibers reinforces the keel at the insertion of the flukes. Thus, differences in the distribution and orientation of structural fibers contribute to the regionally specific mechanical properties of the dorsal keel.

Large fibre size in skeletal muscle is metabolically advantageous.

Skeletal muscle fibre size is highly variable, and while diffusion appears to limit maximal fibre size, there is no paradigm for the control of minimal size. The optimal fibre size hypothesis posits that the reduced surface area to volume in larger fibres reduces the metabolic cost of maintaining the membrane potential, and so fibres attain an optimal size that minimizes metabolic cost while avoiding diffusion limitation. Here we examine changes during hypertrophic fibre growth in metabolic cost and activity of the Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase in white skeletal muscle from crustaceans and fishes. We provide evidence for a major tenet of the optimal fibre size hypothesis by demonstrating that larger fibres are metabolically cheaper to maintain, and the cost of maintaining the membrane potential is proportional to fibre surface area to volume. The influence of surface area to volume on metabolic cost is apparent during growth in 16 species spanning a 20-fold range in fibre size, suggesting that this principle may apply widely.

Locomotor muscle profile of a deep (Kogia breviceps) versus shallow (Tursiops truncatus) diving cetacean.

When a marine mammal dives, breathing and locomotion are mechanically uncoupled, and its locomotor muscle must power swimming when oxygen is limited. The morphology of that muscle provides insight into both its oxygen storage capacity and its rate of oxygen consumption. This study investigated the m. longissimus dorsi, an epaxial swimming muscle, in the long duration, deep-diving pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and the short duration, shallow-diving Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Muscle myoglobin content, fiber type profile (based upon myosin ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase assays), and fiber size were measured for five adult specimens of each species. In addition, a photometric analysis of sections stained for succinate dehydrogenase was used to create an index of mitochondrial density. The m. longissimus dorsi of K. breviceps displayed significantly a) higher myoglobin content, b) larger proportion of Type I (slow oxidative) fibers by area, c) larger mean fiber diameters, and d) lower indices of mitochondrial density than that of T. truncatus. Thus, this primary swimming muscle of K. breviceps has greater oxygen storage capacity, reduced ATP demand, and likely a reduced rate of oxygen consumption relative to that of T. truncatus. The locomotor muscle of K. breviceps appears able to ration its high onboard oxygen stores, a feature that may allow this species to conduct relatively long duration, deep dives aerobically.

Coccolithogenesis In Scyphosphaera apsteinii (Prymnesiophyceae).

Coccolithophores are the most significant producers of marine biogenic calcite, although the intracellular calcification process is poorly understood. In the case of Scyphosphaera apsteinii Lohmann 1902, flat ovoid muroliths and bulky, vase-shaped lopadoliths with a range of intermediate morphologies may be produced by a single cell. This polymorphic species is within the Zygodiscales, a group that remains understudied with respect to ultrastructure and coccolith ontogeny. We therefore undertook an analysis of cell ultrastructure, morphology, and coccolithogenesis. The cell ultrastructure showed many typical haptophyte features, with calcification following a similar pattern to that described for other heterococcolith bearing species including Emiliania huxleyi. Of particular significance was the reticular body role in governing fine-scale morphology, specifically the central pore formation of the coccolith. Our observations also highlighted the essential role of the inter- and intracrystalline organic matrix in growth and arrangement of the coccolith calcite. S. apsteinii secreted mature coccoliths that attached to the plasma membrane via fibrillar material. Time-lapse light microscopy demonstrated secretion of lopadoliths occurred base first before being actively repositioned at the cell surface. Significantly, growth irradiance influenced the coccosphere composition with fewer lopadoliths being formed relative to muroliths at higher light intensities. Overall, our observations support dynamic metabolic (i.e., in response to growth irradiance), sensory and cytoskeletal control over the morphology and secretion of polymorphic heterococcoliths. With a basic understanding of calcification established, S. apsteinii could be a valuable model to further study coccolithophore calcification and cell physiological responses to ocean acidification.

Ring bands in fish skeletal muscle: reorienting the myofibrils and microtubule cytoskeleton within a single cell.

Skeletal muscle cells (fibers) contract by shortening their parallel subunits, the myofibrils. Here we show a novel pattern of myofibril orientation in white muscle fibers of large black sea bass, Centropristis striata. Up to 48% of the white fibers in fish >1168 g had peripheral myofibrils undergoing an ∼90(o) shift in orientation. The resultant ring band wrapped the middle of the muscle fibers and was easily detected with polarized light microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the reoriented myofibrils shared the cytoplasm with the central longitudinal myofibrils. A microtubule network seen throughout the fibers surrounded nuclei but was mostly parallel to the long-axis of the myofibrils. In the ring band portion of the fibers the microtubule cytoskeleton also shifted orientation. Sarcolemmal staining with anti-synapsin was the same in fibers with or without ring bands, suggesting that fibers with ring bands have normal innervation and contractile function. The ring bands appear to be related to body-mass or age, not fiber size, and also vary along the body, being more frequent at the midpoint of the anteroposterior axis. Similar structures have been reported in different taxa and appear to be associated with hypercontraction of fibers not attached to a rigid structure (bone) or with fibers with unusually weak links between the sarcolemma and cytoskeleton, as in muscular dystrophy. Fish muscle fibers are attached to myosepta, which are flexible and may allow for fibers to hypercontract and thus form ring bands. The consequences of such a ring band pattern might be to restrict the further expansion of the sarcolemma and protect it from further mechanical stress.

Scaling with body mass of mitochondrial respiration from the white muscle of three phylogenetically, morphologically and behaviorally disparate teleost fishes.

White muscle (WM) fibers in many fishes often increase in size from <50 µm in juveniles to >250 µm in adults. This leads to increases in intracellular diffusion distances that may impact the scaling with body mass of muscle metabolism. We have previously found similar negative scaling of aerobic capacity (mitochondrial volume density, V(mt)) and the rate of an aerobic process (post-contractile phosphocreatine recovery) in fish WM. In the present study, we examined the scaling with body mass of oxygen consumption rates of isolated mitochondria (VO(2mt)) from WM in three species from different families that vary in morphology and behavior: an active, pelagic species (bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix), a relatively inactive demersal species (black sea bass, Centropristis striata), and a sedentary, benthic species (southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma). In contrast to our prior studies, the measurement of respiration in isolated mitochondria is not influenced by the diffusion of oxygen or metabolites. V(mt) was measured in WM and in high-density isolates used for VO(2mt) measurements. WM V(mt) was significantly higher in the bluefish than in the other two species and VO(2mt) was independent of body mass when expressed per milligram protein or per milliliter mitochondria. The size-independence of VO(2mt) indicates that differences in WM aerobic function result from variation in V(mt) and not to changes in VO(2mt). This is consistent with our prior work that indicated that while diffusion constraints influence mitochondrial distribution, the negative scaling of aerobic processes like post-contractile PCr recovery can largely be attributed to the body size dependence of V(mt).

A skeletal muscle model of extreme hypertrophic growth reveals the influence of diffusion on cellular design.

Muscle fibers that power swimming in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus are <80 microm in diameter in juveniles but grow hypertrophically, exceeding 600 microm in adults. Therefore, intracellular diffusion distances become progressively greater as the animals grow and, in adults, vastly exceed those in most cells. This developmental trajectory makes C. sapidus an excellent model for characterization of the influence of diffusion on fiber structure. The anaerobic light fibers, which power burst swimming, undergo a prominent shift in organelle distribution with growth. Mitochondria, which require O2 and rely on the transport of small, rapidly diffusing metabolites, are evenly distributed throughout the small fibers of juveniles, but in the large fibers of adults they are located almost exclusively at the fiber periphery where O2 concentrations are high. Nuclei, which do not require O2, but rely on the transport of large, slow-moving macromolecules, have the inverse pattern: they are distributed peripherally in small fibers but are evenly distributed across the large fibers, thereby reducing diffusion path lengths for large macromolecules. The aerobic dark fibers, which power endurance swimming, have evolved an intricate network of cytoplasmically isolated, highly perfused subdivisions that create the short diffusion distances needed to meet the high aerobic ATP turnover demands of sustained contraction. However, fiber innervation patterns are the same in the dark and light fibers. Thus the dark fibers appear to have disparate functional units for metabolism (fiber subdivision) and contraction (entire fiber). Reaction-diffusion mathematical models demonstrate that diffusion would greatly constrain the rate of metabolic processes without these developmental changes in fiber structure.

Scaling of postcontractile phosphocreatine recovery in fish white muscle: effect of intracellular diffusion.

In some fish, hypertrophic growth of white muscle leads to very large fibers. The associated low-fiber surface area-to-volume ratio (SA/V) and potentially long intracellular diffusion distances may influence the rate of aerobic processes. We examined the effect of intracellular metabolite diffusion on mass-specific scaling of aerobic capacity and an aerobic process, phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery, in isolated white muscle from black sea bass (Centropristis striata). Muscle fiber diameter increased during growth and was >250 mum in adult fish. Mitochondrial volume density and cytochrome-c oxidase activity had similar small scaling exponents with increasing body mass (-0.06 and -0.10, respectively). However, the mitochondria were more clustered at the sarcolemmal membrane in large fibers, which may offset the low SA/V, but leads to greater intracellular diffusion distances between mitochondrial clusters and ATPases. Despite large differences in intracellular diffusion distances, the postcontractile rate of PCr recovery was largely size independent, with a small scaling exponent for the maximal rate (-0.07) similar to that found for the indicators of aerobic capacity. Consistent with this finding, a mathematical reaction-diffusion analysis indicated that the resynthesis of PCr (and other metabolites) was too slow to be substantially limited by diffusion. These results suggest that the recovery rate in these fibers is primarily limited by low mitochondrial density. Additionally, the change in mitochondrial distribution with increasing fiber size suggests that low SA/V and limited O(2) flux are more influential design constraints in fish white muscle, and perhaps other fast-twitch vertebrate muscles, than is intracellular metabolite diffusive flux.

Neuromuscular synapses on the dactyl opener muscle of the lobster Homarus americanus.

The crustacean dactyl opener neuromuscular system has been studied extensively as a model system that exhibits several forms of synaptic plasticity. We report the ultrastructural features of the synapses on dactyl opener of the lobster (Homarus americanus) as determined by examination of serial thin sections. Several innervation sites supplied by an inhibitory motoneuron have been observed without nearby excitatory innervation, indicating that excitatory and inhibitory inputs to the muscle are not always closely matched. The ultrastructural features of the lobster synapses are generally similar to those described previously for the homologous crayfish muscle, with one major distinction: few dense bars are seen at the presynaptic membranes of these lobster synapses. The majority of the lobster neuromuscular synapses lack dense bars altogether, and the mean number of dense bars per synapse is relatively low. In view of the finding that the physiology of the lobster dactyl opener synapses is similar to that reported for crayfish, these ultrastructural observations suggest that the structural complexity of the synapses may not be a critical factor determining synaptic plasticity.

Ultrastructure, histochemistry, and mineralization patterns in the ecdysial suture of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

The ecdysial suture is the region of the arthropod exoskeleton that splits to allow the animal to emerge during ecdysis. We examined the morphology and composition of the intermolt and premolt suture of the blue crab using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The suture could not be identified by routine histological techniques; however 3 of 22 fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled lectins tested (Lens culinaris agglutinin, Vicia faba agglutinin, and Pisum sativum agglutinin) differentiated the suture, binding more intensely to the suture exocuticle and less intensely to the suture endocuticle. Back-scattered electron (BSE) and secondary electron observations of fracture surfaces of intermolt cuticle showed less mineralized regions in the wedge-shaped suture as did BSE analysis of premolt and intermolt resin-embedded cuticle. The prism regions of the suture exocuticle were not calcified. X-ray microanalysis of both the endocuticle and exocuticle demonstrated that the suture was less calcified than the surrounding cuticle with significantly lower magnesium and phosphorus concentrations, potentially making its mineral more soluble. The presence or absence of a glycoprotein in the organic matrix, the extent and composition of the mineral deposited, and the thickness of the cuticle all likely contribute to the suture being removed by molting fluid, thereby ensuring successful ecdysis.

Carapace repair in the green crab, Carcinus maenas (L.).

Formation of a circular hole 8-10 mm in diameter in the calcified layers of the carapace from crabs in stage C4 of the molt cycle stimulates the tissue under and adjacent to the injury to deposit a unique calcified cuticular material below the intact membranous layer. Deposition was followed for 69 days using light microscopic histology, histochemistry, and scanning electron microscopy. Quantitative analyses of CaCO3 were conducted using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Gran titration. Spatial distribution of CaCO3 was determined with X-radiography. A scab is formed by day two under the injury. At four days the epithelium changes from squamous to columnar and deposits a PAS-positive layer with an irregular lamellar fine structure, followed by highly organized lamellae structurally similar to normal exocuticle. Histochemically, however, these lamellae resemble normal endocuticle. CaCO3 is evident external to the outermost lamellae by day eleven as a fused mass of aragonite granules. The lamellar region calcifies proximally from the outer surface and is amorphous CaCO3 . Repair cuticle is approximately 20%CaCO3 by weight.

Mitochondrial distribution and glycogen dynamics suggest diffusion constraints in muscle fibers of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

The scaling of mitochondrial distribution, citrate synthase activity, and post-contractile glycogen recovery was examined in muscle fibers of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. The fast-twitch muscle fibers of C. sapidus can reach extremely large dimensions, which may impose constraints on aerobic metabolic processes. However, muscle cells from small crabs are not giant, meaning that during development muscle fibers cross and greatly exceed the surface area to volume (SAV) and diffusion threshold that is adhered to by the cells of most organisms. Cell diameters in the smallest size class were approximately 100 microm, while the largest size class had cell diameters in excess of 500 microm. In the smallest cells, the fractional area of subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria was similar. However, in the largest cells, mitochondria were almost exclusively subsarcolemmal. Total fractional area of mitochondria was highest in the largest cells due to a proliferation of subsarcolemmal mitochondria. In contrast, citrate synthase activity decreased as cell size increased. Following burst contractile activity, glycogen concentrations decreased significantly and remained depressed for several hours in muscle comprised of giant cells, consistent with previous findings that anaerobic glycogenolysis fuels certain components of post-contractile recovery. However, in muscle composed of the smallest muscle cells, glycogen levels did not decrease significantly following burst activity. While normal scaling of aerobic metabolism would predict a slower aerobic recovery in larger animals, the present results suggest that cellular organization, SAV, and intracellular diffusion distances also impose constraints on aerobic processes in C. sapidus.

Properties of slow- and fast-twitch skeletal muscle from mice with an inherited capacity for hypoxic exercise.

Muscle fiber type, myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform composition, capillary density (CD) and citrate synthase (CS) activity were investigated in predominantly slow-twitch (soleus or SOL) and fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus or EDL) skeletal muscle from mice with inherited differences in hypoxic exercise tolerance. Striking differences in hypoxic exercise tolerance previously have been found in two inbred strains of mice, Balb/cByJ (C) and C57BL/6J (B6), and their F1 hybrid following exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Mice from the three strains were exposed for 8 weeks to either normobaric normoxia or hypobaric hypoxia (1/2 atm). Hypoxia exposure led to a slightly higher 2b fiber composition and a lower fiber area of types 1 and 2a in SOL of all mice. In the EDL, muscle fiber and MHC isoform composition remained unaffected by chronic hypoxia. Chronic hypoxia did not significantly affect CD in either muscle from any of the three strains. There were relatively larger differences in CS activity among strains and treatment, and in SOL the highest CS activity was found in the F1 mice that had been acclimated to hypoxia. In general, however, neither differences among strains nor treatment in these properties of muscle vary in a way that clearly relates to inherited hypoxic exercise tolerance.