Cocaine alters myosin isoform expression in the rat soleus. Prevost, Michael C., Arnold G. Nelson, K. Patrick Kelly, Dong H. Han, and Robert K. Conlee. Dept. of Kinesiology, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, La., 70803, Dept. of Physical Education, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Ut. 84602
APStracts 2:0143A, 1995.
The purpose of this study was to determine if chronic cocaine administration alters the expression of myosin isoforms in the rat soleus. Forty-five adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups: CC (chronic cocaine) (N=15), 12.5 mg/kg cocaine-HCl injected interperitoneally (ip) twice daily for 14 days, and one injection of cocaine (12.5 mg/kg, ip) on day 15: AC (acute cocaine) (N=15), saline injections twice daily for 14 days and one injection of cocaine (12.5 mg/kg, ip) on day 15: CS (chronic saline) (N=15), saline injections twice daily for 14 days, and one saline injection on day 15. Myosin isoform content of the soleus (native and heavy chains) was identified by electrophoresis. The solei samples from the CS and AC animals contained slow myosin only. However, solei samples from the CC group contained slow myosin and 2-3 other myosin isoforms and the associated heavy chains IIa and IIx. Therefore, chronic cocaine administration causes in the rat soleus a shift in myosin expression from slow isoforms to fast isoforms.

Received 12 September 1994; accepted in final form 21 March 1995.
APS Manuscript Number A953-4.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 10 April 1995.