Effect of denervation on the isoform transitions of tropomyosin, troponin T, and myosin isozyme in chicken breast muscle.

The effect of innervation on the transition of tropomyosin, troponin T, and myosin isozyme during chicken breast muscle development was examined by denervating the muscle at various ages after hatching. The types of proteins were characterized by 2-D electrophoresis for tropomyosin, immunoblotting for troponin T and pyro-phosphate acrylamide gel electrophoresis for myosin isozymes. As judged by the types of these three proteins, when neonatal muscle was denervated, the protein isoform transition from the neonatal to adult state was interrupted, whereas the denervation of mature muscle caused the reappearance of the neonatal forms of proteins. The present results indicate that differentiation from the neonatal state to the adult state and the maintenance of the adult state are controlled by some factors related to nerves.