Expression of troponin T in atria and ventricles of avian and mammalian hearts.

The expression of troponin T in atria and ventricles of adult chicken, rabbit and beef hearts has been studied by two dimensional electrophoresis of soluble extracts from these tissues. The monoclonal antibody, T1/61, has been used to detect the presence of troponin T in the chicken samples. In the chicken only one form of troponin T has been found which is resolved into two spots that probably are due to phosphorylated and non phosphorylated forms. The gels of chicken atria and ventricles are identical with the same patterns, not only of troponin T but also of tropomyosin and myosin light chains. In rabbit and beef the position of troponin T can be located by comparison with the chicken. In the beef it is possible that two forms are present but in the rabbit there appears to be only one. The gels of atria and ventricles of rabbit and beef hearts show differences only in the myosin light chains whereas the expression of tropomyosin is the same. In beef, beta-tropomyosin is found in both tissues. On the evidence of these gels there are no differences in the expression of troponin T or tropomyosin between the atria and ventricles of any of the hearts studied.