[Intracellular Protein Degradation in Growth of Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar L]

A brief review on the common characteristics and specific features of proteolytic machinery in fish skeletal muscles (based on Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., Salmonidae) has been given. Among a variety of proteases in the muscle tissue, those determining protein degradation level in developing and intensively growing muscles in salmon young and by this way regulating protein retention intensity and growth at all namely lysosomal cathepsins B and D and calcium-dependent proteases (calpains) were comprehensively studied. Revealed age-related differences in intracellular protease activity in salmon skeletal muscles indicate the role of proteolysis regulation in growth in general and a specific role of the individual proteolytic enzymes in particular. The data on negative correlation of cathepsin D and calpain activity levels in muscles and the rate of weight increase in juvenile salmon were obtained. A revealed positive correlation of cathepsin B activity and morphometric parameters in fish young presumably indicates its primary contribution to non-myofibrillar protein turnover.