The protection of bovine skeletal myofibrils from proteolytic damage post mortem by small heat shock proteins

This study aimed to determine how small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) protect myofibrillar proteins from μ-calpain degradation during ageing. Immunoprecipitation experiments with M. longissimus dorsi (LD) from Angus heifers (n = 14) examined the interaction between αβ-crystallin, desmin, titin, HSP20, HSP27 and μ-calpain. Results showed that αβ-crystallin associated with desmin, titin, HSP20, HSP27 and μ-calpain. Exogenous αβ-crystallin reduced desmin and titin degradations in myofibrillar extracts and attenuated μ-calpain activity. In a second experiment, bull LD (n = 94) were aged at − 1.5 °C for up to 28 days post mortem. μ-Calpain autolysed faster in high ultimate pH (pHu) meat (pHu ≥ 6.2) and this was concomitant with the more rapid degradation of titin and filamin in this pHu group. Desmin stability in intermediate pHu meat (pHu 5.8 to 6.19) may be due to the protection of myofibril-bound sHSPs combined with the competitive inhibition of μ-calpain by sHSPs.