Effects of diet consistency on the myosin heavy chain mRNAs of rat masseter muscle during postnatal development

To study the effects of diet consistency on the fiber phenotypes of rat masseter (1–70 days of age), the mRNAs of myosin heavy chain isoforms (MHC embryonic, neonatal, I, IIa, IId/x and IIb) were measured in total RNA preparations from masseters of hard-diet group (HDG) and soft-diet group (SDG) by competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). With respect to the time course of the transition of each MHC mRNA expressed as a percentage relative to the maximum mean, the soft diet facilitated early (9 days after weaning) expression of IId/x and IIb isoforms, and also a decline in the expression of neonatal and IIa isoforms. The expression of neonatal, IIa and IId/x isoforms at 70 days of age was significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively) lower in SDG than in HDG, indicating a higher relative composition of the IIb isoform in the SDG. Embryonic MHC mRNA had disappeared by 14 days of age (i.e. before weaning at 19 days). No MHC I mRNA was observed in any masseter studied. These results suggest that in the rat a soft diet facilitates an even more MHC IIb-rich phenotype in the masseter muscle than a hard diet.