The formation and functional consequences of heterogeneous mitochondrial distributions in skeletal muscle

Intraspecific variation in muscle growth of two distinct populations of Port Jackson sharks under projected end-of-century temperatures

Although pervasive, the effects of climate change vary regionally, possibly resulting in differential behavioral, physiological, and/or phenotypic responses among populations within broadly distributed species. Juvenile Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) from eastern and southern Australia were reared at their current (17.6 °C Adelaide, South Australia [SA]; 20.6 °C Jervis Bay, New South Wales [NSW]) or projected end-of-century (EOC) temperatures (20.6 °C Adelaide, SA; 23.6 °C Jervis Bay, NSW) and assessed for morphological features of skeletal muscle tissue. Nearly all skeletal muscle properties including cellularity, fiber size, myonuclear domain, and satellite cell density did not differ between locations and thermal regimes. However, capillary density was significantly influenced by thermal treatment, where Adelaide sharks raised at current temperatures had a lower capillarity than Jervis Bay sharks raised at ambient or projected EOC temperatures. This may indicate higher metabolic costs at elevated temperatures. However, our results suggest that regardless of the population, juvenile Port Jackson sharks may have limited acclimatory potential to alter muscle metabolic features under a temperature increase, which may make this species vulnerable to climate change.

A higher mitochondrial content is associated with greater oxidative damage, oxidative defenses, protein synthesis and ATP turnover in resting skeletal muscle

An unavoidable consequence of aerobic metabolism is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondria have historically been considered the primary source of ROS; however, recent literature has highlighted the uncertainty in primary ROS production sites and it is unclear how variation in mitochondrial density influences ROS-induced damage and protein turnover. Fish skeletal muscle is composed of distinct, highly aerobic red muscle and anaerobic white muscle, offering an excellent model system in which to evaluate the relationship of tissue aerobic capacity and ROS-induced damage under baseline conditions. The present study used a suite of indices to better understand potential consequences of aerobic tissue capacity in red and white muscle of the pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides. Red muscle had a 7-fold greater mitochondrial volume density than white muscle, and more oxidative damage despite also having higher activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. The dominant protein degradation system appears to be tissue dependent. Lysosomal degradation markers and autophagosome volume density were greater in white muscle, while ubiquitin expression and 20S proteasome activity were significantly greater in red muscle. However, ubiquitin ligase expression was significantly higher in white muscle. Red muscle had a more than 2-fold greater rate of translation and total ATP turnover than white muscle, results that may be due in part to the higher mitochondrial density and the associated increase in oxidative damage. Together, these results support the concept that an elevated aerobic capacity is associated with greater oxidative damage and higher costs of protein turnover.

Muscle fiber capillarization is associated with various indices of skeletal muscle mass in healthy, older men

INTRODUCTION

Muscle fiber capillarization plays a fundamental role in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass maintenance. However, it remains unclear to what extent capillarization is related to various other skeletal muscle characteristics. In this study we determined whether muscle fiber capillarization is independently associated with measures of skeletal muscle mass, both on a whole-body and cellular level, and post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis rates in healthy older men.

METHODS

Forty-six healthy older (70 ± 4 y) men participated in a trial during which basal muscle protein synthesis rates were assessed using stable isotope tracer methodology. Blood and muscle biopsy samples were collected to assess post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis rates over a 3-hour period. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine various indices of muscle fiber capillarization, size, type distribution, and myonuclear content/domain size. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were performed to determine whole-body and appendicular lean tissue mass.

RESULTS

Capillary-to-fiber ratio (C/Fi) and perimeter exchange (CFPE) index correlated with whole-body lean tissue mass (r = 0.43, P < 0.01 and r = 0.25, P < 0.10, respectively), appendicular lean tissue mass (r = 0.52, P < 0.001 and r = 0.37, P < 0.05, respectively) as well as appendicular lean tissue mass divided by body mass index (r = 0.65, P < 0.001 and r = 0.62, P < 0.001, respectively). Muscle fiber size correlated with C/Fi (r = 0.45, P < 0.01), but not with CFPE index. No associations were observed between different indices of muscle fiber capillarization and post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis rates in healthy, older men.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides further evidence that muscle fiber capillarization may be a critical factor in the regulation of skeletal muscle maintenance in healthy older men.

Quantitative Assessment of Blood Lactate in Shock: Measure of Hypoxia or Beneficial Energy Source

Blood lactate concentration predicts mortality in critically ill patients and is clinically used in the diagnosis, grading of severity, and monitoring response to therapy of septic shock. This paper summarizes available quantitative data to provide the first comprehensive description and critique of the accepted concepts of the physiology of lactate in health and shock, with particular emphasis on the controversy of whether lactate release is simply a manifestation of tissue hypoxia versus a purposeful transfer ("shuttle") of lactate between tissues. Basic issues discussed include (1) effect of nonproductive lactate-pyruvate exchange that artifactually enhances flux measurements obtained with labeled lactate, (2) heterogeneous tissue oxygen partial pressure (Krogh model) and potential for unrecognized hypoxia that exists in all tissues, and (3) pathophysiology that distinguishes septic from other forms of shock. Our analysis suggests that due to exchange artifacts, the turnover rate of lactate and the lactate clearance are only about 60% of the values of 1.05 mmol/min/70 kg and 1.5 L/min/70 kg, respectively, determined from the standard tracer kinetics. Lactate turnover reflects lactate release primarily from muscle, gut, adipose, and erythrocytes and uptake by the liver and kidney, primarily for the purpose of energy production (TCA cycle) while the remainder is used for gluconeogenesis (Cori cycle). The well-studied physiology of exercise-induced hyperlactatemia demonstrates massive release from the contracting muscle accompanied by an increased lactate clearance that may occur in recovering nonexercising muscle as well as the liver. The very limited data on lactate kinetics in shock patients suggests that hyperlactatemia reflects both decreased clearance and increased production, possibly primarily in the gut. Our analysis of available data in health and shock suggests that the conventional concept of tissue hypoxia can account for most blood lactate findings and there is no need to implicate a purposeful production of lactate for export to other organs.

Evolved changes in the intracellular distribution and physiology of muscle mitochondria in high-altitude native deer mice

KEY POINTS

Mitochondrial function changes over time at high altitudes, but the potential benefits of these changes for hypoxia resistance remains unclear. We used high-altitude-adapted populations of deer mice, which exhibit enhanced aerobic performance in hypoxia, to examine whether changes in mitochondrial physiology or intracellular distribution in the muscle contribute to hypoxia resistance. Permeabilized muscle fibres from the gastrocnemius muscle had higher respiratory capacities in high-altitude mice than in low-altitude mice. Highlanders also had higher mitochondrial volume densities, due entirely to an enriched abundance of subsarcolemmal mitochondria, such that more mitochondria were situated near the cell membrane and adjacent to capillaries. There were several effects of hypoxia acclimation on mitochondrial function, some of which were population specific, but they differed from the evolved changes in high-altitude natives, which probably provide a better indication of adaptive traits that improve performance and hypoxia resistance at high altitudes.

ABSTRACT

High-altitude natives that have evolved to live in hypoxic environments provide a compelling system to understand how animals can overcome impairments in oxygen availability. We examined whether these include changes in mitochondrial physiology or intracellular distribution that contribute to hypoxia resistance in high-altitude deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Mice from populations native to high and low altitudes were born and raised in captivity, and as adults were acclimated to normoxia or hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent to 4300 m elevation). We found that highlanders had higher respiratory capacities in the gastrocnemius (but not soleus) muscle than lowlanders (assessed using permeabilized fibres with single or multiple inputs to the electron transport system), due in large part to higher mitochondrial volume densities in the gastrocnemius. The latter was attributed to an increased abundance of subsarcolemmal (but not intermyofibrillar) mitochondria, such that more mitochondria were situated near the cell membrane and adjacent to capillaries. Hypoxia acclimation had no significant effect on these population differences, but it did increase mitochondrial cristae surface densities of mitochondria in both populations. Hypoxia acclimation also altered the physiology of isolated mitochondria by affecting respiratory capacities and cytochrome c oxidase activities in population-specific manners. Chronic hypoxia decreased the release of reactive oxygen species by isolated mitochondria in both populations. There were subtle differences in O₂ kinetics between populations, with highlanders exhibiting increased mitochondrial O₂ affinity or catalytic efficiency in some conditions. Our results suggest that evolved changes in mitochondrial physiology in high-altitude natives are distinct from the effects of hypoxia acclimation, and probably provide a better indication of adaptive traits that improve performance and hypoxia resistance at high altitudes.

Using the MitoB method to assess levels of reactive oxygen species in ecological studies of oxidative stress

In recent years evolutionary ecologists have become increasingly interested in the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the life-histories of animals. ROS levels have mostly been inferred indirectly due to the limitations of estimating ROS from in vitro methods. However, measuring ROS (hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂) content in vivo is now possible using the MitoB probe. Here, we extend and refine the MitoB method to make it suitable for ecological studies of oxidative stress using the brown trout Salmo trutta as model. The MitoB method allows an evaluation of H₂O₂ levels in living organisms over a timescale from hours to days. The method is flexible with regard to the duration of exposure and initial concentration of the MitoB probe, and there is no transfer of the MitoB probe between fish. H₂O₂ levels were consistent across subsamples of the same liver but differed between muscle subsamples and between tissues of the same animal. The MitoB method provides a convenient method for measuring ROS levels in living animals over a significant period of time. Given its wide range of possible applications, it opens the opportunity to study the role of ROS in mediating life history trade-offs in ecological settings.

Maternal hypoxia decreases capillary supply and increases metabolic inefficiency leading to divergence in myocardial oxygen supply and demand

Maternal hypoxia is associated with a decrease in left ventricular capillary density while cardiac performance is preserved, implying a mismatch between metabolism and diffusive exchange. We hypothesised this requires a switch in substrate metabolism to maximise efficiency of ATP production from limited oxygen availability. Rat pups from pregnant females exposed to hypoxia (FIO₂=0.12) at days 10-20 of pregnancy were grown to adulthood and working hearts perfused ex vivo. ¹⁴C-labelled glucose and ³H-palmitate were provided as substrates and metabolism quantified from recovery of ¹⁴CO₂ and ³H₂O, respectively. Hearts of male offspring subjected to Maternal Hypoxia showed a 20% decrease in cardiac output (P<0.05), despite recording a 2-fold increase in glucose oxidation (P<0.01) and 2.5-fold increase (P<0.01) in palmitate oxidation. Addition of insulin to Maternal Hypoxic hearts, further increased glucose oxidation (P<0.01) and suppressed palmitate oxidation (P<0.05), suggesting preservation in insulin signalling in the heart. In vitro enzyme activity measurements showed that Maternal Hypoxia increased both total and the active component of cardiac pyruvate dehydrogenase (both P<0.01), although pyruvate dehydrogenase sensitivity to insulin was lost (NS), while citrate synthase activity declined by 30% (P<0.001) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity was unchanged by Maternal Hypoxia, indicating realignment of the metabolic machinery to optimise oxygen utilisation. Capillary density was quantified and oxygen diffusion characteristics examined, with calculated capillary domain area increased by 30% (P<0.001). Calculated metabolic efficiency decreased 4-fold (P<0.01) for Maternal Hypoxia hearts. Paradoxically, the decline in citrate synthase activity and increased metabolism suggest that the scope of individual mitochondria had declined, rendering the myocardium potentially more sensitive to metabolic stress. However, decreasing citrate synthase may be essential to preserve local PO₂, minimising regions of hypoxia and hence maximising the area of myocardium able to preserve cardiac output following maternal hypoxia.

Analysis of the behavior of mitochondria in the ovaries of the earthworm Dendrobaena veneta Rosa 1839

We examined six types of cells that form the ovary of the earthworm Dendrobena veneta ogonia, prooocytes, vitellogenic oocytes, trophocytes, fully grown postvitellogenic oocytes and somatic cells of the gonad. The quantitative stereological method revealed a much higher "volume density" of mitochondria in all of the types of germ-line cells except for the somatic cells. Fluorescent vital stain JC-1, however, showed a much higher oxidative activity of mitochondria in the somatic cells than in the germ-line cells. The distribution of active and inactive mitochondria within the studied cells was assessed using the computer program ImageJ. The analysis showed a higher luminosity of inactive mitochondria in all of the types of germ-line cells and a higher luminosity of active mitochondria in somatic cells. The OXPHOS activity was found in somatic cells mitochondria and in the peripheral mitochondria of the vitellogenic oocytes. The detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) revealed a differentiated distribution of ROS in the different cell types. The amount of ROS substances was lower in somatic cells than in younger germ-line cells. The ROS level was also low in the cytoplasm of fully grown postwitellogenic oocytes. The distribution of the MnSOD enzyme that protects mitochondria against destructive role of ROS substances was high in the oogonia and in prooocytes and it was very high in vitellogenic and postvitellogenic oocytes. However, a much lower level of this protective enzyme was observed in the trophocytes and the lowest level was found in the cytoplasm of somatic cells. The lower mitochondrial activity and higher level of MnSOD activity in germ-line cells when compared to somatic cells testifies to the necessity of the organisms to protect the mitochondria of oocytes against the destructive role of the ROS that are produced during oxidative phosphorylation. The protection of the mitochondria in oocytes is essential for the transfer of healthy organelles to the next generation.

Large fibre size in skeletal muscle is metabolically advantageous

Skeletal muscle fiber size is highly variable, and while diffusion appears to limit maximal fiber size, there is no paradigm for the control of minimal size. The optimal fiber size hypothesis posits that the reduced surface area to volume (SA:V) in larger fibers reduces the metabolic cost of maintaining the membrane potential, and so fibers attain an optimal size that minimizes metabolic cost while avoiding diffusion limitation. Here we examine changes during hypertrophic fiber 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 fiber size hypothesis by demonstrating that larger fibers are metabolically cheaper to maintain, and the cost of maintaining the membrane potential is proportional to fiber SA:V. The influence of SA:V on metabolic cost is apparent during growth in 16 species spanning a 20-fold range in fiber size, suggesting that this principle may apply widely.

Nuclear positioning in muscle development and disease

Muscle disease as a group is characterized by muscle weakness, muscle loss, and impaired muscle function. Although the phenotype is the same, the underlying cellular pathologies, and the molecular causes of these pathologies, are diverse. One common feature of many muscle disorders is the mispositioning of myonuclei. In unaffected individuals, myonuclei are spaced throughout the periphery of the muscle fiber such that the distance between nuclei is maximized. However, in diseased muscles, the nuclei are often clustered within the center of the muscle cell. Although this phenotype has been acknowledged for several decades, it is often ignored as a contributor to muscle weakness. Rather, these nuclei are taken only as a sign of muscle repair. Here we review the evidence that mispositioned myonuclei are not merely a symptom of muscle disease but also a cause. Additionally, we review the working models for how myonuclei move from two different perspectives: from that of the nuclei and from that of the cytoskeleton. We further compare and contrast these mechanisms with the mechanisms of nuclear movement in other cell types both to draw general themes for nuclear movement and to identify muscle-specific considerations. Finally, we focus on factors that can be linked to muscle disease and find that genes that regulate myonuclear movement and positioning have been linked to muscular dystrophy. Although the cause-effect relationship is largely speculative, recent data indicate that the position of nuclei should no longer be considered only a means to diagnose muscle disease.

Oxygen control of intracellular distribution of mitochondria in muscle fibers

Mitochondrial density in skeletal muscle fibers is governed by the demand for aerobic ATP production, but the heterogeneous distribution of these mitochondria appears to be governed by constraints associated with oxygen diffusion. We propose that each muscle fiber has an optimal mitochondrial distribution at which it attains a near maximal rate of ATP consumption (RATPase ) while mitochondria are exposed to a minimal oxygen concentration, thus minimizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We developed a coupled reaction-diffusion/cellular automata (CA) mathematical model of mitochondrial function and considered four fiber types in mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus (SOL) muscle. The developed mathematical model uses a reaction-diffusion analysis of metabolites including oxygen, ATP, ADP, phosphate, and phosphocreatine (PCr) involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial function. A CA approach governing mitochondrial life cycles in response to the metabolic state of the fiber was superimposed and coupled to the reaction-diffusion approach. The model results show the sensitivity of important model outputs such as the RATPase , effectiveness factor (η) and average oxygen concentration available at each mitochondrion to local oxygen concentration in the fibers through variation in the CA model parameter θdet , which defines the sensitivity of mitochondrial death to the oxygen concentration. The predicted optimal mitochondrial distributions matched previous experimental findings. Deviations from this optimal distribution corresponding to higher CA model parameter values (a more uniform mitochondrial distribution) lead to lower aerobic rates. In contrast, distributions corresponding to lower CA model parameter values (a more asymmetric distribution) lead to an increased exposure of mitochondria to oxygen, usually without substantial increases in aerobic rates, which would presumably result in increased ROS production and thus increased risks of cytotoxicity.

Novel locomotor muscle design in extreme deep-diving whales

Most marine mammals are hypothesized to routinely dive within their aerobic dive limit (ADL). Mammals that regularly perform deep, long-duration dives have locomotor muscles with elevated myoglobin concentrations and are composed of predominantly large, slow-twitch (Type I) fibers with low mitochondrial volume densities (Vmt). These features contribute to extending ADL by increasing oxygen stores and decreasing metabolic rate. Recent tagging studies, however, have challenged the view that two groups of extreme deep-diving cetaceans dive within their ADLs. Beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris, Cuvier and Mesoplodon densirostris, Blainville) routinely perform the deepest and longest average dives of any air-breathing vertebrate, and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus, Gray) perform high-speed sprints at depth. We investigated the locomotor muscle morphology and estimated total body oxygen stores of these cetaceans to determine whether they (a) shared muscle design features with other deep-divers and (b) performed dives within their calculated ADLs. Muscle of both cetaceans displayed high myoglobin concentrations and large fibers, as predicted, but novel fiber profiles for diving mammals. Beaked whales possessed a sprinter's fiber-type profile, composed of approximately 80% fast-twitch (Type II) fibers with low Vmt. Approximately one-third of the muscle fibers of short-finned pilot whales were slow-twitch, oxidative, glycolytic fibers, a rare fiber-type for any mammal. The muscle morphology of beaked whales likely decreases the energetic cost of diving, while that of short-finned pilot whales supports high activity events. Calculated ADLs indicate that, at low metabolic rates, both cetaceans carry sufficient onboard oxygen to aerobically support their dives.

Homocysteine induces energy imbalance in rat skeletal muscle: is creatine a protector?

Homocystinuria is a neurometabolic disease caused by a severe deficiency of cystathionine beta-synthase activity, resulting in severe hyperhomocysteinemia. Affected patients present several symptoms including a variable degree of motor dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the effect of chronic hyperhomocysteinemia on the cell viability of the mitochondrion, as well as on some parameters of energy metabolism, such as glucose oxidation and activities of pyruvate kinase, citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, respiratory chain complexes and creatine kinase in gastrocnemius rat skeletal muscle. We also evaluated the effect of creatine on biochemical alterations elicited by hyperhomocysteinemia. Wistar rats received daily subcutaneous injections of homocysteine (0.3-0.6 µmol/g body weight) and/or creatine (50 mg/kg body weight) from the 6th to the 28th days of age. The animals were decapitated 12 h after the last injection. Homocysteine decreased the cell viability of the mitochondrion and the activities of pyruvate kinase and creatine kinase. Succinate dehydrogenase was increased other evaluated parameters were not changed by this amino acid. Creatine, when combined with homocysteine, prevented or caused a synergistic effect on some changes provoked by this amino acid. Creatine per se or creatine plus homocysteine altered glucose oxidation. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms by which homocysteine exerts its effects on skeletal muscle function, more studies are needed to elucidate them. Although creatine prevents some alterations caused by homocysteine, it should be used with caution, mainly in healthy individuals because it could change the homeostasis of normal physiological functions.