Changes of histochemical profiles of myofibers in pectoralis and supracoracoideus fasciculi induced by breeding for large or small body size in Japanese quails

• Published in: Animal science journal Vol. 74; no. 2; pp. 111 - 118
• Main Authors: IWAMOTO, Hisao, GOTOH, Takafumi, TABATA, Shoji, NISHIMURA, Shotaro, OKAMOTO, Satoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Science Pty 01.04.2003
• Subjects: body size; breast muscles; fasciculus; Japanese quail; myofiber
• ISSN: 1344-3941; 1740-0929
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1344-3941.2003.00095.x

The histochemical profiles of myofibers in Musculus pectoralis (PT) and M. supracoracoideus (SC) fasciculi were compared among Japanese quail strains with large, normal and small body sizes. In male and female adults, both the PT and SC muscles had attained a 2.5–2.7‐fold weight gain in the large strain and conversely a 0.43–0.50‐fold change in the small strain relative to those of the normal size. The muscles were composed of fasciculi with a central cluster of type IIA fibers surrounded by a peripheral layer of type IIB fibers. In the large strain, the cross sectional area (CSA) of the fasciculus and CSA of the fibers in each type were significantly enlarged compared with those in the normal size, with the exception of the fasciculus in the deep region of the male PT muscle. The hypertrophied type IIA fibers in the large strain showed considerable variation in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase activity, some of which might represent a transitional form into type IIB fibers. In the small strain, the fasciculus CSA did not significantly differ from that of the normal size except for the PT surface region of the male. However, fiber atrophy was observed in type IIB fibers of the PT surface region in both sexes, and type IIA fibers of the PT deep region and SC muscle in the small strain male quails. The relative fiber type composition of a fasciculus in each region showed only a slight change across the strains. These results indicate that breast muscle hypertrophy in the large strain could be based mainly on fasciculus and fiber hypertrophy, but muscle atrophy in the small strain is not induced by fasciculus and fiber atrophy.