The occurrence, structure and innervation of slow and twitch muscle fibres in the tensor tympani and stapedius of the cat

Abstract

1. The muscle fibres of the tensor tympani and stapedius of the cat have been examined in the light microscope in teased preparations after cholinesterase staining and in the electron microscope. 2. In both muscles, two kinds of fibre have been found: those with an individual end‐plate and those with multiple nerve terminals. 3. The stapedius fibres with an end‐plate have fibrils regularly separated from each other by sarcoplasmic reticulum, a straight Z line, transverse tubular T system elements regularly occurring at the junction of A and I bands, an M line, an extensive sole plate area, and numerous post‐junctional sarcolemmal infoldings under the nerve terminal. This type of muscle fibre in the tensor tympani has all of these features except that the fibrils are not well separated from each other, T system elements are absent in some sarcomeres, and a typical M line is absent. 4. Compared to the individually innervated fibres, the fibres with multiple endings have fibrils poorly separated from each other by sarcoplasmic reticulum, a jagged Z line, very few T system elements, a less extensive sole plate area, and essentially no folds under the nerve terminal. These fibres in both muscles have M lines. 5. Muscle fibres have thus been found in both the tensor tympani and stapedius of the cat which conform in their innervation, the structure of their motor nerve endings, and their internal structure to many of the morphological characteristics which are exhibited by slow muscle fibres elsewhere.