Histochemical evidence for enzyme differences in crustacean fast and slow muscle

Abstract

AbstractHistochemical techniques were developed for characterizing fast and slow muscles of crustaceans. When crayfish or lobster abdominal muscles were tested for myofibrillar ATPase activity, fast muscle stained darkly and slow muscle stained lightly. When tested for NADH diaphorase activity, as a sign of oxidative capacity, slow muscle stained darkly around the sarcolemma while fast muscle stained lightly. In contrast, the results suggested that swimmeret muscles are more heterogenous in their properties. These histochemical techniques provide a simple but efficient method for elucidating the enzymatic profile of crustacean muscles. They should prove useful for characterizing the diversity of these muscles and for investigating the causes of this diversity.