Protein Abundances of μ-Calpain, Calpastatin, Actin, Myosin and Myomesin in the Muscle and Intestine of the African Lungfish, Protopterus Annectens, During Three Phases of Aestivation Lo S.Y.1 and Ip Y.K.2

The African lungfish has the ability to undergo aestivation, yet somehow manage to avoid disuse muscular atrophy in the process. The changes in various protein abundances during aestivation and arousal from aestivation is unknown. In this study, muscle and intestine tissues from the aestivating P. annectens were observed for changes in levels of μ-calpain, calpastatin, pan actin, myosin and myomesin, and from the various interactions, it was concluded that the calpain-calpastatin interaction played a big role in the prevention of disuse muscular atrophy in the muscle. Novel results were obtained from experiments on the intestine. Sequencing of the myosin gene from muscle via 5’ RACE-PCR was also carried out.