ISSN:
0003-276X
Keywords:
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
The soleus muscle is widely used in biochemical and physiological investigations as an example of a slow-twitch red muscle, and it has been assumed, for the most part, that it consists of a homogeneous population of either red or intermediate fibers. In the present study, the cytological composition of this muscle was examined in four commonly studied species, namely the rat, guinea pig, rabbit and cat. Using the form and distribution of mitochondria as the principal criteria for identification, two distinct types of muscle fibers can be recognized in the soleus of the guinea pig and rabbit as well as the rat. The soleus muscle is therefore not homogeneous in either species. Preliminary observations suggest that the soleus of the cat is likewise not homogeneous. In addition, although the fibers resemble red and intermediate fibers in other skeletal muscles, the resemblance is only superficial. In the two fiber types of the rat and guinea pig soleus, the Z line is characteristically wide, and therefore, based on this criterion, the fibers are not equivalent to either the red or intermediate fibers of other muscles.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ar.1091800402
