Induction of carbonic anhydrase III mRNA and protein by denervation of rat muscle.

Carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) protein and mRNA amounts in fast- and slow-twitch rat muscles were examined after resection of the sciatic nerve. Striking changes occur in the fast-twitch anterior tibialis (AT) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles, where CAIII protein and mRNA are increased several-fold 16 days after denervation. The data suggest that these changes are regulated in part by changes in gene transcription and that they perhaps signal a fast-to-slow fibre type transition in these denervated muscles. AT and EDL show some differences in the effects of denervation, which are suggestive of variation in the timing of denervation-induced responses and/or the CAIII protein/mRNA turnover rates in the two muscles.