Changes in qualitative composition of white muscle with nutritional status of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

Proteins from white muscle are mobilized to cover energy requirements during long-term starvation in fish. Using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, we compared the soluble and insoluble fractions of white muscle proteins from fed and starved Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, to establish whether preferential preservation or degradation of specific proteins occurred during starvation. While starvation induced no qualitative changes in the electrophoretic pattern of the myofibrillar fraction, our results document differential decreases in the levels of soluble proteins during fasting. Moreover, immunoblot analysis using a monoclonal antibody directed against actin, showed a marked accumulation of this protein in the sarcoplasmic fraction of starved individuals, most likely due to myofibrillar degradation.