[The post mortem alterations of myofibrilar proteins and adenosintriphosphatase activities of the skeletal muscles (author's transl)].
Immediately after the death of rabbits and at different times within 48 hours, we took out a part of the psoas muscle, from which we made myofibrilar preparations. The carcasses providing the muscle samples were held at two different temperatures. One group was held for 48 hours at 25 degrees C, imitating room temperature. The other group was held for 12 hours at 25 C degrees and at 25 C degrees and 12 hours at 10 C degrees, imitating daily temperature changes. Each myofibrilar sample was subjected to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition we determined the Ca++ activated and the EGTA inhibited ATPase specific activity of the myofibrils. We found that within 48 hours the myofibrilar proteins were subjected to some characteristic proteolytic changes, which were dependant on the environmental temperature. The most interesting change was found in carcasses held constantly at 25 C degrees for 48 hours, where the EGTA inhibited ATPase activity was increased to about seven times its initial value, reflecting impairment of the troponin complex.