Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of environmental temperature and energy intake on skeletal muscle respiratory enzymes and morphology

  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Influence of a cold (10° C) or warm (35° C) environment and a high or low level of energy intake on respiratory enzyme activities has been investigated in porcine skeletal muscle. Scanning microdensitometry was used to measure the reaction products from mitochondrial enzymes in individual slowand fast-twitch muscle fibres. A cold environment was found to increase the activity of succinate dehydrogenase in both types of muscle fibre (P<0.001 for dark fibres, P<0.01 for light fibres) from young growing animals. Enzyme activity was also increased in animals on a low compared with a high energy intake (P<0.01) when living at 10° C but not at 35° C. Similar findings were obtained for NADH diaphorase and cytochrome oxidase aa 3. The numbers of slow-twitch muscle fibres also increased after exposure to cold (P<0.01) and as a result of a low energy intake (P<0.01). These results are similar to those obtained in other species after exercise or as a result of peripheral arterial insufficiency. The extent to which they could be related to local tissue hypoxia or to changes in metabolic hormones is discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anthony A, Ackerman E, Strother GK (1959) Effects of altitude acclimatization on rat myoglobin. Changes in myoglobin content of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Am J Physiol 196:512–516

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft JD (1975) Histochemical techniques, 2nd edn. Butterworths, London, pp 284–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnard RJ, Edgerton VR, Peter JB (1970) Effect of exercise on skeletal muscle. 1. Biochemical and histochemical properties. J Appl Physiol 28:762–766

    Google Scholar 

  • Behrens WA, Himms-Hagen J (1977) Alteration in skeletal muscle mitochondria of cold acclimated rats; association with enhanced metabolic response to noradrenaline. J Bioenerg Biomembr 9:41–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Boreham CAG, Watt PW, Williams PE, Merry BJ, Goldspink G, Goldspink DF (1988) Effects of ageing and chronic dietary restriction on the morphology of fast and slow muscles of the rat. J Anat 157:111–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand MD, Murphy MP (1987) Control of electron flux through the respiratory chain in mitochondria and cells. Biol Rev 62:141–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Buser KS, Kopp B, Gehr P, Weibel ER, Hoppeler H (1982) Effect of cold environment on skeletal muscle mitochondria in growing rats. Cell Tissue Res 225:427–436

    Google Scholar 

  • Bylund AC, Hammarsten J, Holm J, Schersken T (1976) Enzyme activities in skeletal muscles from patients with peripheral arterial insufficiency. Eur J Clin Invest 6:425–429

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheah KS, Dauncey MJ, Cheah AM, Ingram DL (1985) Influence of environmental temperature and energy intake on porcine skeletal muscle mitochondria. Comp Biochem Physiol 82B:287–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Dauncey MJ, Wooding FBP, Ingram DL (1981) Evidence for the presence of brown adipose tissue in the pig. Res Vet Sci 31:76–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Dauncey MJ, Ingram DL, Walters DE, Legge K (1983) Evaluation of the effects of environmental temperature and nutrition on growth and development. J Agric Sci 101:291–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Dauncey MJ, Greenwood CA, Ingram DL, Munn EA (1985) Changes in porcine muscle mitochondria induced by environmental temperature and energy intake. J Physiol 371:220P

    Google Scholar 

  • Dauncey MJ, Brown D, Hayashi M, Ingram DL (1988) Thyroid hormone nuclear receptors in skeletal muscle as influenced by environmental temperature and energy intake. Q J Exp Physiol 73:183–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Depocas F (1966) Concentration and turnover of cytochrome c in skeletal muscles of warm and cold acclimated rats. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 44:875–850

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulkner JA, Maxwell LC, Brook DA, Lieberman DA (1971) Adaptation of pig plantaris muscle to endurance training. Am J Physiol 221:291–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldspink G (1964) The combined effects of exercise and reduced food intake on skeletal muscle fibres. J Cell Comp Physiol 63:209–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldspink G (1969) Succinic dehydrogenase content of individual muscle fibres at different ages and stages of growth. Life Sci 8:791–808

    Google Scholar 

  • Gollnick PD, Ianuzzo CD (1972) Hormonal deficiencies and the metabolic adaptation of rats to training. Am J Physiol 223:278–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson R, Tata JR, Lindberg D, Ernster L (1965) The relationship between the structure and activity of rat skeletal muscle mitochondria after thyroidectomy and thyroid hormone treatment. J Cell Biol 26:555–578

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton CL (1963) Interactions of food intake and temperature regulation in the rat. J Comp Physiol Psychol 56:476–488

    Google Scholar 

  • Harada N (1977) Increase in cytochrome contents of liver mitochondria on feeding rats a low casein diet. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 23:423–429

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi M, Ingram DL, Dauncey MJ (1987) Heat production and respiratory enzymes in normal and runt newborn piglets. Biol Neonate 51:324–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes DJ, Challiss J, Radda GK (1986) An investigation of arterial insufficiency in rat hindlimb. An enzymic, mitochondrial and histological study. Biochem J 236:469–473

    Google Scholar 

  • Heroux O (1961) Climatic and temperature induced changes in mammals. Rev Can Biol 20:55–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Holm J, Bjorntorp P, Schersten T (1972) Metabolic activity in human skeletal muscle. Effect of peripheral arterial insufficiency. Eur J Clin Invest 2:321–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram DL, Dauncey MJ (1986) Environmental effects on growth and development. In: Buttery PJ, Haynes E, Lindsay DB (eds) Control and manipulation of animal growth. Butterworths, London, pp 5–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinnula VL, Huttunen P, Hirvonen J (1983) Adaptive changes in skeletal muscle mitochondria of the guinea-pig during acclimation to cold. Eur J Appl Physiol 51:237–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Macari M, Dauncey MJ, Ramsden DB, Ingram DL (1983) Thyroid hormone metabolism after acclimatization to a warm or cold temperature under conditions of high or low energy intake. Q J Exp Physiol 68:709–718

    Google Scholar 

  • Macari M, Ingram DL, Dauncey MJ (1983) Influence of thermal and nutritional acclimatization on body temperatures and metabolic rate. Comp Biochem Physiol 74A:549–553

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynafarje B (1962) Myoglobin content and enzymatic activity in muscle and altitude adaptation. J Appl Physiol 17:301–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowell JG, Walters DE (1976) Analysing data with repeated observations on each experimental unit. J Agric Sci 87:423–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Saltin B, Gollnick PD (1983) Skeletal muscle adaptability: significance for metabolism and performance. In: American Physiological Society: Handbook of physiology, section 10. Skeletal muscle. Waverly Press, Baltimore, pp 555–631

    Google Scholar 

  • Siamak AA, Krzysik BA, Morse EL, Amin PM (1974) Oxidative energy metabolism in the skeletal muscle: biochemical and ultrastructural evidence for adaptive changes. J Lab Clin Med 83:548–562

    Google Scholar 

  • Tappan DV, Reynafarje BD, Potter VR, Hurtado A (1957) Alterations in enzymes and metabolites resulting from adaptation to low oxygen tensions. Am J Physiol 190:93–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Tata JR, Ernster L, Lindberg O, Arrhenius E, Pedersen S, Hedman R (1963) The action of thyroid hormones at the cell level. Biochem J 86:408–428

    Google Scholar 

  • Terjung RL, Koerner JE (1976) Biochemical adaptations in skeletal muscle of trained thyroidectomized rats. Am J Physiol 230:1194–1197

    Google Scholar 

  • Tipton CM, Terjung RL, Barnard RJ (1968) Response of thyroidectomized rats to training. Am J Physiol 215:1137–1142

    Google Scholar 

  • Winder WW, Baldwin KM, Terjung RL, Holloszy JO (1975) Effects of thyroid hormone administration on skeletal muscle mitochondria. Am J Physiol 228:1341–1345

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, CB2 4AT, Babraham, Cambridge, England

    M. J. Dauncey & D. L. Ingram

Authors
  1. M. J. Dauncey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. L. Ingram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dauncey, M.J., Ingram, D.L. Influence of environmental temperature and energy intake on skeletal muscle respiratory enzymes and morphology. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 58, 239–244 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417256

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417256

Key words

Search

Navigation