A challenge to establish long-term primary culture of isolated muscle fibers

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24658228
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Zootechnical science/Grassland science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: IKEUCHI Yoshihide 九州大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (90168112)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 辰巳 隆一 九州大学, 大学院農学研究院 (40250493) ; 水野 谷航 九州大学, 大学院農学研究院 (20404056)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 筋線維タイプ / 骨格筋 / 筋線維 / ミオシン重鎖 / 細胞培養 / 筋萎縮

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To attain high quality meat production, elucidation of the regulation system of skeletal muscle fiber type is required. That mechanism will also contribute in medical and sports science. For detailed analysis of muscle fiber type, in the present study, we challenged to establish long term culture system of isolated rat muscle fibers (single fibers) and examined its characteristics. First, we succeeded in establishment of a culture protocol that can maintain more than 90% survival rate of muscle fibers isolated from rat up to 7 days. In the cultured isolated muscle fibers, fast type of myosin heavy chain isoform was significantly reduced over the culture period. We assumed this alteration can be similar to the state of muscle atrophy. Therefore, we measured protein level of atrogin-1, which is the muscle atrophy marker. The level of atrogin-1 was increased over time, suggesting the possibility that the present culture system can be applied as muscle atrophy in vitro model.

Free Research Field

農学