UCC Dept of Biochemistry - Staff Pages

I have a long-standing interest in the mechanism of myofibril protein turnover in skeletal muscle. I was part of the team that originally purified calpain from muscle at Iowa State University in 1976 and we proposed that this enzyme is responsible for initiating myofibrillar turnover. Since then my group has gathered much evidence to support this hypothesis. We have investigated in particular the easily releasable myofilaments that are loosely connected to the myofibril at its periphery and we have gathered evidence that calpain initiates myofibrillar turnover by facilitating the release of these myofilaments. We have also investigated the role of easily releasable myofilaments in growing animals and in muscle disease.

Teaching

I currently teach a module on Ultrastructural analysis in the 4th year biochemistry programme and I teach a module on introductory biochemistry to the first year students in the nursing degree programme. An outline of my courses and all courses taught by staff in the Department of Biochemistry are available at UCC Book of Modules.

Additional Links

I am also Director of the Central Electron Microscopy Unit and College Radiological Protection Officer. I also write the weekly Science Today column in The Irish Times.

Research Interests

Protein turnover in Skeletal Muscle
I have a long-standing interest in the mechanism of myofibril protein turnover in skeletal muscle. I was part of the team that originally purified calpain from muscle at Iowa State University in 1976 and we proposed that this enzyme is responsible for initiating myofibrillar turnover. Since then my group has gathered much evidence to support this hypothesis. We have investigated in particular the easily releasable myofilaments that are loosely connected to the myofibril at its periphery and we have gathered evidence that calpain initiates myofibrillar turnover by facilitating the release of these myofilaments. We have also investigated the role of easily releasable myofilaments in growing animals and in muscle disease.

Recent publications
1. O’Dwyer, M., Zeece, M., Reville, W. Effect of exogenous addition of gelsolin on myofibils prepared from bovine muscle. Proc. 45th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, August 1-6, 1999, Yokohama, Japan. (Paper 4 – p16), 267-277. 2. Reville, W., Walsh, O., Motherway, M., Zeece, M. Myofibrillar turnover in rabbit skeletal muscle. Biochimie, Supplement No. 6. Abstracts of 26th Meeting of Fed. Eur. Biochem. Societies, Nice, June 19-24, 1999. S220. (M0/8.1/209). 3. Zeece, M.G., Chu, Q., Jones, S.J., Wood, T.L., Reville, W.J. Determination of 3-methylhistidine by capillary electrophoresis. J. Capillary Electrophoresis, 3, 55-59, (1996). 4. Murray, B.A., Reville, W.J., O’Sullivan, S., McMahon, S., Tighe, A., Kennedy, A., Zeece, M.G. Myofibrillar turnover in atrophic and hypertrophic muscle. 23rd Meeting of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, Basel, August 13-18, 1995. 5. Murray, B.A., Reville, W.J., Zeece, M.G. Increased calpain activity in skeletal muscle of rats maintained on caloric restricted and fasting dietary regimes. Biochemical Soc. Trans. 20, 69S, (1991).

Mechanism of Ageing in Meat
Muscle is tender if cooked at the time of death of the animal. The muscle toughens on rigor mortis onset and must be held for several days in the chiller (ageing) in order to allow tenderness to improve again. The improvement in tenderness during ageing is caused by a very limited proteolysis of the myofibril. There is much evidence this proteolysis is caused by calpain and we have intensively investigated this phenomenon, particularly with reference to easily releasable myofilaments.

References 1. Mobarak, M., Zeece, M.G. and Reville W.J. An electron microscope investigation of the stability of lysosomes in post-mortem bovine muscle using the immunogold technique. Proc. EUREM 12, Brno, Czech Republic, B73-B74, July 9-14, (2000). 2. Mobarak, M., Connell, S., Reville, W., Zeece, M. Localisation of lysosomal cathepsin B during the post-mortem storage of bovine muscle at 4oC and 25oC using enzyme fluorescence histochemisty. Proc. 45th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, Yokohama, Japan, August 1-6, 1999. (Paper 4 – p20), 284-285. 3. O’Halloran, G.R., Troy, D.J., Buckley, D.J., Reville, W.J. The role of endogenous proteinases in the tenderisation of fast glycolysing muscle. Meat Sc. 47, 187-210, (1997). 4. Chambers, J.J., Reville, W.J., Zeece, M.G. Lysosomal integrity in post mortem bovine skeletal muscle. Sciences des Aliments, 14, 441-457, 1994. 5. Reville, W.J., Murray, B.A., Ahern, S., Zeece, M.G. Easily releasable myofilaments in post mortem bovine muscle. Sciences des Aliments, 14, 431-440, 1994.
Books

Reville, W.J. Understanding the Natural World – Science Today,published by Irish Times Books, 1999. Co-edited with Dr. M. O Fathaigh, Town and Gown 1, published by the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, University College, Cork, 1994, ISBN 1-898721-07-6. Co-edited with Dr. M. O Fathaigh, Town and Gown II, published by the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, University College, Cork, 1996, ISBN 1-898721-09-2.

Professor William J Reville

William J Reville Associate Professor in Biochemistry Contact Information Muscle Biology Laboratory Department of Biochemistry University College Cork Cork Email: w.reville@ucc.ie Tel: +353 21 490 4127/4369 Fax: +353 21 490 4055/4452 Education: Ph.D, 1973, University College Dublin.