Reexamination of metabolic potential in the toadfish sonic muscle

Activities of eight enzymes were measured in the sonic muscle of the gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, to determine the metabolic poise of this unique tissue and to evaluate potential sex related differences in metabolism. In contrast to a prior study (Pennypacker et al., '85, J. Exp. Zool., 239: 259-264), we observed substantial activities of M4-lactate dehydrogenase, 333 to 482 units/g wet sonic muscle weight. This observation and the presence of high activities of other enzymes of glycolytic and anaerobic metabolism (pyruvate kinase and creatine phosphokinase) lead us to conclude that this tissue has high anaerobic capacity. Also in contrast to the observations of Pennypacker et al. ('85), we found that the activities of some enzymes indicative of aerobic metabolism are relatively low. For example, the activities of citrate synthase found in sonic muscle (1.5 to 2.7 units/g) are only slightly higher than values obtained for toadfish white skeletal muscle (1.2 units/g). The discrepancies between the results obtained by the two studies appear to be methodological ones. Lastly, significant differences in enzyme activities between males and females were observed for lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase, and possible explanations for these differences are discussed.