Relationship between muscle fiber types and sizes and muscle architectural properties in the mouse hindlimb.

Skeletal muscle fiber and architectural properties both contribute to the functional behavior of a muscle. This study uses discriminant analysis and mathematical modeling to identify the structurally and functionally significant properties. The architectural properties of fiber length, muscle length, and pennation angle are found to be the most structurally significant parameters, whereas fiber length, muscle length, and fiber type distribution are found to be most functionally determining. Architectural speed and fiber type do not appear to be complimentary (i.e., the architectural determinant of speed, fiber length, is not associated with fibers of high intrinsic velocity). However, there does seem to be a synergistic relation between the two property classes and force production. Muscles with large physiological cross sectional areas (PCSAs) tend to contain a greater proportion of larger, faster fibers. Structurally or morphologically significant parameters are not always found to have a large functional effect. Pennation angle, though one of the most structurally significant variables, was found to have very little functional effect.

Doxorubicin affects tau protein metabolism in human neuroblastoma cells.

The microtubule associated protein called tau, found primarily in neurons, was detected in a human neuroblastoma cell line, LAN-5. Cells treated with retinoic acid (2.0 x 10(-5) M) differentiate and acquire processes similar to neurons. Differentiated and logarithmically growing undifferentiated cells were exposed to varying doses of doxorubicin (an anthracycline chemotherapeutic antibiotic). While doxorubicin was lethal to many undifferentiated dividing cells, it was not as damaging to differentiated cells. After 2 to 4 days of doxorubicin treatment, the cells were harvested, the protein concentration determined and SDS-PAGE performed. Proteins were blotted onto nitrocellulose paper and immunostained with either a rabbit antiserum or mouse monoclonal antibody to tau. Undifferentiated LAN-5 cells treated with 4.0 x 10(-8) M doxorubicin for 4 days and cells treated with 8.0 x 10(-8) M doxorubicin for 2 days displayed a distinct lower band (just below the 50 kd marker) that was either absent or very faint in untreated controls.