Design of the mammalian respiratory system. VII. Scaling mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle to body mass

Odile Mathieu; Rudolf Krauer; Hans Hoppeler; Peter Gehr; Stan L. Lindstedt; R. Mc Neill Alexander; C. Richard Taylor; Ewald R. Weibel

doi:10.1016/0034-5687(81)90079-7

Design of the mammalian respiratory system. VII. Scaling mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle to body mass

Odile Mathieu, Rudolf Krauer, Hans Hoppeler, Peter Gehr, Stan L. Lindstedt, R. Mc Neill Alexander, C. Richard Taylor, Ewald R. Weibel

Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

Since O₂ is mainly consumed in muscle mitochondria during heavy physical work, one would except to find a relationship between the volume density of mitochondria in skeletal muscles and maximal O₂ uptake. We analyzed the volume density of mitochondria, V_V(mt,f), in four muscles of a series of African mammals ranging in body mass from 0.4 to 251 kg. V_V(mt,f) scaled as M_b^-0.231, M_b^-0.163, M_b^-0.139 and M_b^-0.055 in Mm. semitendinosus, longissimus dorsi, vastus medialis and diaphragm, respectively. The mass or volume of diaphragm was found to scale as M_b^-0.865, whereas for Mm. semitendinosus and vastus medialis, muscle volume (V_mu) scales as M_b^1.030 and M_b^0.956, respectively. Scaling the absolute volume of mitochondria V_mt, in these muscles (V_mt = V_V(mt,f) x V_mu) against M_b gives regression lines whose slopes closely parallel that obtained for V̇_{O_2max} against body mass. Therefore the ratio of volume of mitochondria in these muscles to V̇_{O_2max} is body mass independent.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	113-128
Number of pages	16
Journal	Respiration Physiology
Volume	44
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-5687(81)90079-7
State	Published - Apr 1981

Keywords

African mammals
Allometry
Capillary density
Mitochondrial volume density
Muscle morphometry
Oxygen consumption

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physiology
Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

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10.1016/0034-5687(81)90079-7

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title = "Design of the mammalian respiratory system. VII. Scaling mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle to body mass",

abstract = "Since O2 is mainly consumed in muscle mitochondria during heavy physical work, one would except to find a relationship between the volume density of mitochondria in skeletal muscles and maximal O2 uptake. We analyzed the volume density of mitochondria, VV(mt,f), in four muscles of a series of African mammals ranging in body mass from 0.4 to 251 kg. VV(mt,f) scaled as Mb-0.231, Mb-0.163, Mb-0.139 and Mb-0.055 in Mm. semitendinosus, longissimus dorsi, vastus medialis and diaphragm, respectively. The mass or volume of diaphragm was found to scale as Mb-0.865, whereas for Mm. semitendinosus and vastus medialis, muscle volume (Vmu) scales as Mb1.030 and Mb0.956, respectively. Scaling the absolute volume of mitochondria Vmt, in these muscles (Vmt = VV(mt,f) x Vmu) against Mb gives regression lines whose slopes closely parallel that obtained for {\.V}O2max against body mass. Therefore the ratio of volume of mitochondria in these muscles to {\.V}O2max is body mass independent.",

keywords = "African mammals, Allometry, Capillary density, Mitochondrial volume density, Muscle morphometry, Oxygen consumption",

author = "Odile Mathieu and Rudolf Krauer and Hans Hoppeler and Peter Gehr and Lindstedt, {Stan L.} and Alexander, {R. Mc Neill} and Taylor, {C. Richard} and Weibel, {Ewald R.}",

note = "Funding Information: * This study was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (3.394.74 and 3.332.78) and from the Sandoz Foundation. I Present address : Department of Physiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A. 2 Present address : Department of Zoology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, England. 3 Present address: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.",

year = "1981",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1016/0034-5687(81)90079-7",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "44",

pages = "113--128",

journal = "Respiration Physiology",

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T1 - Design of the mammalian respiratory system. VII. Scaling mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle to body mass

AU - Mathieu, Odile

AU - Krauer, Rudolf

AU - Hoppeler, Hans

AU - Gehr, Peter

AU - Lindstedt, Stan L.

AU - Alexander, R. Mc Neill

AU - Taylor, C. Richard

AU - Weibel, Ewald R.

N1 - Funding Information: * This study was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (3.394.74 and 3.332.78) and from the Sandoz Foundation. I Present address : Department of Physiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A. 2 Present address : Department of Zoology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, England. 3 Present address: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.

PY - 1981/4

Y1 - 1981/4

N2 - Since O2 is mainly consumed in muscle mitochondria during heavy physical work, one would except to find a relationship between the volume density of mitochondria in skeletal muscles and maximal O2 uptake. We analyzed the volume density of mitochondria, VV(mt,f), in four muscles of a series of African mammals ranging in body mass from 0.4 to 251 kg. VV(mt,f) scaled as Mb-0.231, Mb-0.163, Mb-0.139 and Mb-0.055 in Mm. semitendinosus, longissimus dorsi, vastus medialis and diaphragm, respectively. The mass or volume of diaphragm was found to scale as Mb-0.865, whereas for Mm. semitendinosus and vastus medialis, muscle volume (Vmu) scales as Mb1.030 and Mb0.956, respectively. Scaling the absolute volume of mitochondria Vmt, in these muscles (Vmt = VV(mt,f) x Vmu) against Mb gives regression lines whose slopes closely parallel that obtained for V̇O2max against body mass. Therefore the ratio of volume of mitochondria in these muscles to V̇O2max is body mass independent.

AB - Since O2 is mainly consumed in muscle mitochondria during heavy physical work, one would except to find a relationship between the volume density of mitochondria in skeletal muscles and maximal O2 uptake. We analyzed the volume density of mitochondria, VV(mt,f), in four muscles of a series of African mammals ranging in body mass from 0.4 to 251 kg. VV(mt,f) scaled as Mb-0.231, Mb-0.163, Mb-0.139 and Mb-0.055 in Mm. semitendinosus, longissimus dorsi, vastus medialis and diaphragm, respectively. The mass or volume of diaphragm was found to scale as Mb-0.865, whereas for Mm. semitendinosus and vastus medialis, muscle volume (Vmu) scales as Mb1.030 and Mb0.956, respectively. Scaling the absolute volume of mitochondria Vmt, in these muscles (Vmt = VV(mt,f) x Vmu) against Mb gives regression lines whose slopes closely parallel that obtained for V̇O2max against body mass. Therefore the ratio of volume of mitochondria in these muscles to V̇O2max is body mass independent.

KW - African mammals

KW - Allometry

KW - Capillary density

KW - Mitochondrial volume density

KW - Muscle morphometry

KW - Oxygen consumption

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DO - 10.1016/0034-5687(81)90079-7

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SN - 0034-5687

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JO - Respiration Physiology

JF - Respiration Physiology

IS - 1

ER -

Design of the mammalian respiratory system. VII. Scaling mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle to body mass

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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