Electrophoretic differentiation of the fibre types of adductor mandibulae, sternohyoideus and protractor hyoideus muscles of the carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

peer reviewed1. 1. The estimation of relative proportions of white and red myosin light chains separated on PAGE allows the calculation of red fibre content of several carp head muscles. 2. 2. The muscle composition appears related to the function: muscle acting during slow respiratory movements possesses a higher amount of red fibres (A1β and A3). Moreover, most of the examined muscles are heterogeneous with a set of white fibres adjacent to red ones. 3. 3. Peculiar fibres observed in protractor hyoideus lateral: they show a white type myosin and contain a low amount of myoglobin while the parvalbumins and lactic dehydrogenase isoenzymes distributions are typical of the red type