Figure 11. Immunocytochemical evidence for apoptotic nuclei in reloaded muscles.

DNA fragmentation was assessed with TUNEL staining (green) as an indication of nuclei committed to apoptosis in the plantaris muscles from animals. The basal lamina of the muscle fibers was incubated in an anti-lamina antibody (red) to identify nuclei adjacent to or inside the basal lamina of the fibers. Representative tissue cross sections are shown for animals in the hindlimb suspension (A) and recovery (B) groups. C. Quantification of the TUNEL positive nuclei that were located at or below the basal lamina of the muscle fibers in the recovery or cage control animals. *P<0.05 vs. cage control.