Ultrastructural observations on muscle spindles in extraocular muscles of pig. 1988

M Kubota
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.

Human and some mammals such as the sheep, goat and domestic and wild pigs have more or less muscle spindles in the extrinsic eye muscles, especially the domestic pigs having abundant muscle spindles (Matsuyama, 1987). The muscle spindles play a large role in maintaining the stable visual posture of the eyeballs. To define the morphological properties of the muscle spindles relative to the eye movement, the ultrastructure of the spindles was investigated in 6 extraocular muscles of the pigs by electron microscopy. The muscle spindles in the pig extraocular muscles consist of 4 to 5 intrafusal muscle fibers, one of which is nuclear bag fiber and 3 to 4 are nuclear chain fibers. The outer capsule is thin, composing of few layers, and the inner capsule ramifying to enwrap the individual fiber, accompanied by the medullated and unmedullated nerve fibers and blood capillaries. The nuclear bag fiber, 14 micron in diameter, is innervated by the atypical annulospiral sensory terminals and the chain fiber by the typical annulospiral terminal packed with mitochondria and microvesicles. The intrafusal fibers are innervated by the flower-spray sensory terminals anchoring deeply into the sarcoplasma, having abundant neurotubules and few mitochondria. The gamma motor end-plates have a relatively smooth synaptic cleft with a width of 70 nm and synaptic boutons containing few synaptic vesicles, sometimes, revealing a shallow fold of postsynaptic sarcolemma and abundant synaptic vesicles. The alpha motor end-plates reveal a relatively smooth synaptic cleft with a width of 80 nm, sometimes with a rough postsynaptic infolding, and boutons containing few synaptic vesicles and small-sized mitochondria. The satellite cells are innervated by the sensory terminals in various ways. The muscle spindles in the pig extraocular muscles are found to be much simpler in structure than those in the other antigravity muscles of the body. Their ultrastructure seems to reflect the morphological adaptation relative to the eyebal movement.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008854 Microscopy, Electron Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen. Electron Microscopy
D009045 Motor Endplate The specialized postsynaptic region of a muscle cell. The motor endplate is immediately across the synaptic cleft from the presynaptic axon terminal. Among its anatomical specializations are junctional folds which harbor a high density of cholinergic receptors. Motor End-Plate,End-Plate, Motor,End-Plates, Motor,Endplate, Motor,Endplates, Motor,Motor End Plate,Motor End-Plates,Motor Endplates
D009470 Muscle Spindles Skeletal muscle structures that function as the MECHANORECEPTORS responsible for the stretch or myotactic reflex (REFLEX, STRETCH). They are composed of a bundle of encapsulated SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS, i.e., the intrafusal fibers (nuclear bag 1 fibers, nuclear bag 2 fibers, and nuclear chain fibers) innervated by SENSORY NEURONS. Muscle Stretch Receptors,Neuromuscular Spindles,Receptors, Stretch, Muscle,Stretch Receptors, Muscle,Muscle Spindle,Muscle Stretch Receptor,Neuromuscular Spindle,Receptor, Muscle Stretch,Receptors, Muscle Stretch,Spindle, Muscle,Spindle, Neuromuscular,Spindles, Muscle,Spindles, Neuromuscular,Stretch Receptor, Muscle
D009801 Oculomotor Muscles The muscles that move the eye. Included in this group are the medial rectus, lateral rectus, superior rectus, inferior rectus, inferior oblique, superior oblique, musculus orbitalis, and levator palpebrae superioris. Extraocular Muscles,Extraocular Rectus Muscles,Inferior Oblique Extraocular Muscle,Inferior Oblique Muscles,Levator Palpebrae Superioris,Musculus Orbitalis,Oblique Extraocular Muscles,Oblique Muscle, Inferior,Oblique Muscle, Superior,Oblique Muscles, Extraocular,Rectus Muscles, Extraocular,Superior Oblique Extraocular Muscle,Superior Oblique Muscle,Extraocular Muscle,Extraocular Muscle, Oblique,Extraocular Muscles, Oblique,Extraocular Oblique Muscle,Extraocular Oblique Muscles,Extraocular Rectus Muscle,Inferior Oblique Muscle,Muscle, Oculomotor,Muscles, Oculomotor,Oblique Extraocular Muscle,Oblique Muscle, Extraocular,Oblique Muscles, Inferior,Oblique Muscles, Superior,Oculomotor Muscle,Rectus Muscle, Extraocular,Superior Oblique Muscles
D005133 Eye Movements Voluntary or reflex-controlled movements of the eye. Eye Movement,Movement, Eye,Movements, Eye
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013552 Swine Any of various animals that constitute the family Suidae and comprise stout-bodied, short-legged omnivorous mammals with thick skin, usually covered with coarse bristles, a rather long mobile snout, and small tail. Included are the genera Babyrousa, Phacochoerus (wart hogs), and Sus, the latter containing the domestic pig (see SUS SCROFA). Phacochoerus,Pigs,Suidae,Warthogs,Wart Hogs,Hog, Wart,Hogs, Wart,Wart Hog

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