Zoological Studies

Histochemical Characteristics of Sonic Muscle Fibers in Tigerperch, Terapon jarbua

Shueh-Fen Chen, Bao-Quey Huang and Yu-Yi Chien (1998) Histochemical typing of sonic muscle fibers was investigated in tigerperch (Terapon jarbua) by examining the glycogen and lipid contents to determine the energy source, and the activities of the oxidative enzymes SDH, NADH-TR, LDH, and mATPase (with alkaline and acid preincubation) to identify metabolic pattern. The presence of abundant glycogen and little lipid provides the muscle fibers with potential fuel as the energy source and thus supports the designation of sonic muscle as fast oxidative glycolytic fibers. The majority of sonic muscle fibers are type IIa, which suggests that they are metabolically adapted for rapid contraction and fatigue resistance. A minority of sonic muscle fibers are type IIc; these are scattered in the muscle core and show higher responses to oxidative enzymes than do IIa fibers.