Abstract

AFTER denervation the whole sarcolemma becomes as sensitive to acetylcholine as the neuromuscular junction of the normal fibre1. An increase of the rate of exchange of 24Na and 42K between interior and exterior of the denervated muscle has been observed2 and this increase can be attributed to an increase in sarcolemma permeability. From this it could be supposed that denervation would also affect other properties of the sarcolemma. It was, therefore, decided to determine whether the sarcolemma of the denervated muscle showed an increase in permeability to protein molecules, because it is known, mainly from the data of Zierler3–7, that aldolase, and probably other glycolytic enzymes, moves out of the fibres during incubation of normal skeletal muscle of rat in vitro, probably by diffusion. This work has been extended to other conditions leading to atrophy of the muscle, namely, tenotomy, partial ischaemia and caloric deprivation.

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