We compared the effect of burn injury on the energy-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and the slow-twitch soleus muscle in rats. Rats were subjected to a 30% total body surface area full-thickness burn or sham procedure. At various time points after injury, total and myofibrillar protein breakdown rates were determined in incubated EDL and soleus muscles. The energy-dependent component of protein break-down was determined by incubating muscles in energy-depleting medium. Messenger RNA levels for ubiquitin and RC3, a 20S proteasome subunit, were measured by Northern blot analysis. Burn injury resulted in an approximately 50% increase in total protein breakdown and a 3-4 fold increase in myofibrillar protein breakdown in EDL muscles, and this response reflected increased energy-dependent protein breakdown. In contrast, protein breakdown rates were not significantly influenced by the burn injury in soleus muscles. Ubiquitin mRNA levels were increased almost 10-fold in EDL and approximately 4.5-fold in soleus muscles following burn injury. Burn injury resulted in a 2-fold increase in RC3 mRNA in EDL with no significant changes noted in soleus muscles. The results suggest that the more pronounced effect of burn injury on protein breakdown in fast-twitch than in slow-twitch muscle may reflect different regulation of proteolysis at the molecular level.

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