Chronic overloading of the rat heart induces a cascade of adaptational events which compensate for the increase in work. Two of these have been extensively described: a qualitative event with an isomyosin change leading to an improved efficiency and a quantitative event resulting in cardiac hypertrophy. By means of immunofluorescence, we investigated if elements of the cytoskeleton, i.e. microtubules and intermediate filaments, could be triggers for these adaptational mechanisms. Studies of overloaded heart were performed in young rats with aortic stenosis or adult rats with aortic insufficiency. Cardiac myocytes were isolated and labelled by immunofluorescence with antibodies raised against V1 or V3 isomyosin, desmin or tubulin. The aim of the work was to visualize: when and where the shift in the expression of isomyosins occurs within the myocytes; the eventual changes in the pattern of intermediate filaments of desmin and/or of microtubules during the adaptation of myocytes to overload. We observed: that the shift from the high (V1) to low (V3) ATPase isomyosin occurred in a population of myocytes soon after stenosis; that changes in the pattern of microtubules occurred soon after induction of hypertrophy; no changes in the distribution or intensity of the staining of desmin.

Summary. Effect of diets low in phosphorus and high in calcium on plasma inorganic and ruminal phosphorus and calcium concentrations.Four semi-purified diets with different calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) contents were given to adult sheep at a level of 1 kg daily plus 100 g of straw. The phosphorus was supplied as dicalcium phosphate, almost insoluble in rumen fluid. In the preliminary period, all the animals (16) were fed the test diet (NCa-NP) containing 8.4 g of Ca and 3.3. g of P.In the experimental period (table 3) two trials were carried out. In trial 1, two groups of 5 sheep each were given for 5 weeks a diet low in P (1 g/kg) and either low (2 g/kg) (diet BCa-BP) or high (10 g/kg) (diet HtCa-BP) in calcium. In trial 2, which lasted for 19 weeks, the HtCa-BP diet was compared to a high Ca (10 g/kg) normal P (3.3 g/kg) diet (diet HtCa-NP) ; two groups of 2 sheep each were fed both these diets every 3 hours, and one group (HtCa-BP) was fed twice daily.The concentration of ultrafilterable inorganic Ca (CaiU) in the rumen contents was related to the Ca level of the diet (tables 4, 5). However, individual variations were high and CaiU concentrations were negatively correlated to rumen pH ( fig. 7).When diets adequate in P were fed, ruminal concentrations of ultrafilterable P (PiU) were rather high (400-490 mg/1), showing the importance of endogenous P supply in the rumen. With an adequate P supply, a high Ca intake had no effect on either plasma or ruminal PiU.When low P diets were fed, there was a steady decrease in plasma Pi from 6 to 3.5 mg P/100 ml and in ruminal PiU from 500 mg/l to values lower than 300 mg/l up to 5-6 experimental weeks. These decreases were greatest with high Ca intake (HtCa-BP diet) ( figs. 2, 3 Introduction.

No abstract