The histochemical profiles of fibre types in porcine skeletal muscle

Using a variety of histochemical methods -mATPase staining after alkaline and acid preincubations, NADH-TR and a-MGPDH- we have investigated the fibre types in porcine skeletal muscle. The results reveal that four major fibre types -1, IIA, IIB and II*- can be separated histochemically in Longissimus lumborum muscle of Landrace pigs. The histochemical properties of the muscle fibre type 11* are very similar to that of type IIX described in other mammals. The existence of IIX fibres in pig muscle has been recently demonstrated by molecular biology techniques and our results validate the use of histochemistry (mATPase) as an easy methodology to differentiate the three fast myosins (type 11 fibres) in pig muscle