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. 2012 Nov 15;215(Pt 22):3997-4005.
doi: 10.1242/jeb.073684. Epub 2012 Aug 16.

High oxidative capacity and type IIx fibre content in springbok and fallow deer skeletal muscle suggest fast sprinters with a resistance to fatigue

Jennifer Wendy Curry  1 , Rodrigo Hohl, Timothy David Noakes, Tertius Abraham Kohn
Affiliations

High oxidative capacity and type IIx fibre content in springbok and fallow deer skeletal muscle suggest fast sprinters with a resistance to fatigue

Jennifer Wendy Curry et al. J Exp Biol. .

Abstract

Some wild antelopes are fast sprinters and more resistant to fatigue than others. This study therefore investigated two wild antelope species to better understand their reported performance capability. Muscle samples collected post mortem from the vastus lateralis and longissimus lumborum of fallow deer (Dama dama) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) were analysed for myosin heavy chain isoform content, citrate synthase, 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities. Cross-sectional areas, fibre type and oxidative capacities of each fibre type were determined in the vastus lateralis only. The predominant fibre type in both muscle groups and species were type IIX (>50%), with springbok having more type IIX fibres than fallow deer (P<0.05). Overall cross-sectional area was not different between the two species. The metabolic pathway analyses showed high glycolytic and oxidative capacities for both species, but springbok had significantly higher CS activities than fallow deer. Large variation and overlap in oxidative capacities existed within and between the fibre types. Some type IIX fibres presented with oxidative capacities similar to those from type I and IIA fibres. The data suggest that springbok and fallow deer are able sprint at >90 and 46 km h(-1), respectively, partly from having large type IIX fibre contents and high glycolytic capacities. The high oxidative capacities also suggest that these animals may be able to withstand fatigue for long periods of time.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Myosin heavy chain isoforms from human, fallow deer and springbok muscles separated by SDS-PAGE. (A) Fallow deer isoforms compared with human. (B) Springbok isoforms compared with human.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Identification of the separated MHC isoforms of human, fallow deer and springbok using antibodies specific to the three isoforms. See Results for details.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Histology of fallow deer and springbok vastus lateralis muscles. Fibres were classified (and labelled) as types I (I), IIA (A), IIAX (AX) and IIX (X). Type IIX fibres presenting with high oxidative capacity are labelled as XO. (A) NADH stain showing oxidative capacity of muscle fibres. (B) ATPase stain at pH 10.3. Type I fibres are clear. No type IC (grey) fibres are visible. All other fibres are stained dark. (C) Immunohistochemistry using an antibody specific to MHC I (BAD5). Note cross-reactivity with type IIX fibres in fallow deer. (D) Immunohistochemistry using an antibody specific to MHC I and IIa (BF35). (E) Immunohistochemistry using an antibody specific to MHC IIx (6H1). Note cross-reactivity with type I fibres in both species.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
NADH stain intensities in springbok muscle as a function of incubation time. (A) Serial cross-sections incubated for 10, 20 or 30 min in NADH–nitro blue tetrazolium solution. (B) Relationship between optical density and incubation time in white (R2=0.76), medium (R2=0.90) and dark fibres (R2=0.85).
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Frequency distribution plots (expressed as a percentage of the total number of fibres) of the oxidative capacity [optical density (OD)] from springbok and fallow deer vastus lateralis muscle. Each bar was calculated as the number of fibres that obtained OD values in a specific range (e.g. from 0.60 to 0.69 OD).
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
The relationship between MHC IIx isoform content in muscle and reported maximal sprinting speeds. Adapted from Kohn et al. (Kohn et al., 2011a). Additional species added from the present study are indicated with a filled circle. Pearson's r=0.80, P<0.001.
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