Summary
Detailed studies have been made on the distribution of several enzymes in the muscle spindles of the hand and foot interosseous muscles and M. longissimus dorsi of the rhesus monkey as well as in those of the hand interosseous muscles of the squirrel monkey. The intrafusal muscle fibers (IMF) of the rhesus monkey can be classified into two types by the reaction intensity at the polar regions for adenosine triphosphatases and by the enzymes concerning the carbohydrate metabolism except glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, while the extrafusal muscle fibers (EMF) show three types of reactions for the enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The IMF and EMF of the squirrel monkey are more variable than those of the rhesus monkey for the glycogen breakdown enzyme. It is possible that the small IMF are more capable of energy production through the TCA cycle than the large IMF and the EMF in both species. The positive cholinesterases reactions are found around the polar regions of the IMF, while only the rim of the equator of the IMF shows monoamine oxidase activity. The pericapsular epithelial cells of the muscle spindle seem to be metabolically similar to the perineural epithelial cells.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abe, T., and N. Shimizu: Histochemical method for demonstrating aldolase. Histochemie 4, 209–212 (1964).
Boyd, I. A.: An isolated mammalian muscle-spindle preparation. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 144, 11 P-12 P (1958).
Brzezinski, D. K. Von: Untersuchungen zur Histochemie der Muskelspindeln. I. Topochemie der Polysaccharide. Acta histochem. (Jena) 12, 75–79 (1961 a).
—: Untersuchungen zur Histochemie der Muskelspindeln. II. Zur Topochemie und Funktion des Spindelraumes und der Spindelkapsel. Acta histochem. (Jena) 12, 277–288 (1961b).
Burstone, M. S.: Enzyme histochemistry and its application in the study of neoplasm. New York and London: Academic Press 1962.
Coërs, C., and J. Durand: Données morphologiques nouvelles sur l'innervation des fuseaux neuromusculaires. Arch. Biol. (Liège) 67, 685–713 (1956).
Cooper, S.: Muscle spindles and other muscle receptors. In: The structure and function of muscle (G. H. Bourne, ed.), vol. 1, p. 381–420. New York: Academic Press 1960.
Coupland, R. E., and R. L. Holmes: The use of cholinesterase techniques for the demonstration of peripheral nervous structures. Quart. J. micr. Sci. 98, 327–330 (1957).
Crowe, A., and P. B. C. Matthews: The effects of stimulation of static and dynamic fusimotor fibres on the response of stretching of the primary endings of muscle spindles. J. Physiol (Lond.) 174, 109–131 (1964a).
—: Further studies of static and dynamic fusimotor fibres. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 174, 132–151 (1964b).
Eyzaguirre, C.: Functional organization of neuromuscular spindle in toad. J. Neurophysiol. 20, 523–542 (1957).
Germino, N. I., and H. D'Albora: Succinic-dehydrogenase activity in the neuromuscular spindles of the chick. Experientia (Basel) 21, 45–46 (1965).
Glenner, G. G., H. J. Burtner, and G. W. Brown: The histochemical demonstration of monoamine oxidase activity by tetrazolium salts. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 5, 591–600 (1957).
Henneman, E., and C. B. Olson: Relations between structure and function in the design of skeletal muscles. J. Neurophysiol. 28, 581–598 (1965).
Hess, R., D. G. Scarpelli, and A. G. E. Pearse: The cytochemical localization of oxidative enzymes. II. Pyridine nucleotide-linked dehydrogenases. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 4, 753–760 (1958).
Kielley, W. W., and L. B. Bradley: The relationship between sulfhydryl groups and the activation of myosin adenosinetriphosphatase. J. biol. Chem. 218, 653–659 (1956).
—, and O. Meyerhof: Studies on adenosinetriphosphatase of muscle. II. A new magnesium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase. J. biol. Chem. 176, 591–601 (1948).
Kuffler, S. W., C. C. Hunt, and J. P. Quilliam: Function of medullated small-nerve fibers in mammalian ventral roots: Efferent muscle spindle innervation. J. Neurophysiol. 14, 29–54 (1951).
Matthews, B. H. C.: Nerve endings in mammalian muscle. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 78, 1–53 (1933).
Nachlas, M. M., K. C. Tsou, E. De Souza, C. S. Cheng, and A. M. Seligman: Cytochemical demonstration of succinic dehydrogenase by the use of a new p-nitrophenyl substituted ditetrazole. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 5, 420–436 (1957).
Nyström, B.: Muscle-spindle histochemistry. Science 155, 1424–1426 (1967).
Ogata, T., and M. Mori: Histochemical demonstration of the three types of intraf usal fibers of muscle spindles, a study on oxidative enzymes. Acta Med. Okayama 16, 347–350 (1962).
—: Histochemical study of oxidative enzymes in vertebrate muscles. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 12, 171–182 (1964).
Padykula, H. A., and E. Herman: Factors affecting the activity of adenosine triphosphatase and other phosphatases measured by histochemical techniques. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 161–169 (1955).
—: The specificity of the histochemical method for adenosine triphosphatase. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 170–195 (1955).
Shantha, T. R., M. N. Golarz, and G. H. Bourne: Histological and histochemical observations on the capsule of the muscle spindle in normal and denervated muscle. Acta anat. (Basel) (in press).
Sherrington, C. S.: On the anatomical constitution of nerves of skeletal muscles; with remarks on recurrent fibres in the ventral spinal nerve-root. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 17, 211–255 (1894/1895).
Takeuchi, T., and H. Kuriaki: Histochemical detection of phosphorylase in animal tissues. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 153–160 (1955).
Wachstein, M., and E. Meisel: Histochemistry of hepatic phosphatases at a physiologic pH with special reference to the demonstration of bile canaliculi. Amer. J. clin. Path. 27, 13–23 (1957).
Wirsén, C., and K. S. Larsson: Histochemical differentiation of skeletal muscle in foetal and newborn mice. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 12, 759–767 (1964).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Visiting scientist from the Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
T. R. Shanthaveerappa in previous publications.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nakajima, Y., Shantha, T.R. & Bourne, G.H. Enzyme-histochemical studies on the muscle spindle. Histochemie 16, 1–8 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306206
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306206