published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

The swamp eel, Monopterus albus, is a benthic freshwater species, inhabiting the muddy ponds, canals, and rice fields. They are highly adaptive to stressful environment and, as a consequence M. albus is an aquaculture species. Under adverse environmental conditions, such as drought and high temperature, swamp eels burrow into the mud and enter into a stage of aestivation which is characterized by extremely slow physiological processes and complete quiescence. Reports on human muscle atrophy as a result of prolong lacking of muscle activity indicate that muscle atrophy is associated with reductions of number and sizes of muscle fibers. And this symptom is also called the disuse muscle atrophy. In this study, swamp eels were induced into aestivation by placing in a growth chamber under high temperature and low water contain in the mud substrate. Results show that when the swamp eel had been in aestivated for 100 days, the skeletal muscle atrophied about 48%. However, such ¡§atrophy¡¨ did not influence normal functions of the muscles, and the degree of atrophy much lower than non-aestivation species. The 2-DE results of the M. albus¡¦s muscle during 100 days of aestivation show that appearance or disappearance of new function proteins were not observed. However these were significant difference between three protein groups, including stress proteins, sarcomeric proteins and metabolic proteins. These three groups of proteins play important roles in prevention of atrophy of disused muscles. It is believe that M. albus is more suitable species than bear in the study of disuse muscle atrophy.

Thesis--M. Phil., University of Hong Kong. / Typewritten.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1977.

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1976. / Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong kong, 1973. / Typewritten.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1974. / Typescript.