Abstract
In view of the paucity of data on the chemical composition of nonstriated muscle, Dr. Saiki has made an extensive study of the urinary bladder and muscular coat of the stomach of the pig. The details will be published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The preparations studied contained a considerably larger proportion of connective tissue (and presumably lymph spaces) than the corresponding skeletal muscles. This factor, involving the possible contamination with tissue lymph, must be taken into consideration in an interpretation of the analytical data. Hypoxanthin is the predominant purin base present. Creatin and paralactic acid can also be isolated. There is little, if any, glycogen in the nonstriated muscles examined; but the tissues possess the property of transforming glycogen in the characteristic enzymatic way. The most interesting contribution is a rather complete analysis of the inorganic constituents indicating a difference in their relative distribution in comparison with skeletal muscle, which can be accounted for in part only by an admixture of lymph.
The summary here given indicates a comparative richness of the nonstriated muscle in Ca. It is suggested that this may bear some relation to the characteristic physiological properties of such tissue, viz., tonic contraction and automatic rhythmic activity, both of which can be facilitated by Ca ions.
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