Summary
The superficial flexor (SF) muscle of the crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) abdomen increases in volume in direct proportion to increases in total body weight during ontogeny. This increase in SF muscle mass occurs solely (Figs. 1, 2) by an increase in the width and length of SF muscle fibers (i.e., the number of SF muscle fibers remains constant). Unlike vertebrate muscle fibers, these crustacean muscle fibers increase in length by increases in sarcomere length (Fig. 3). This increase in sarcomere length during ontogeny must occur via a continuous lengthening of actin and myosin filaments since the relative lengths of the A and I bands remain essentially unchanged as these fibers lengthen. Similar results are reported for the opener muscle of the cheliped (Figs. 5–7).
We suggest that fiber number is specified for many crayfish muscle masses since for a given species of crayfish, certain muscle masses contain a set number of fibers within rather narrow limits, and the number of fibers is often significantly different in homologous muscle masses of the same species or in the same muscle mass of different species. Finally, it would seem that similar processes are operating both during embryonic growth and during regeneration in crayfish and in some other crustaceans, since fiber number is not significantly different in opener muscles from normal and regenerated limbs in crayfish and in the crabGecarcinus lateralis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, E.R.: Sarcomere formation in chick striated muscle. Z. Zellforsch.145, 167–170 (1973)
Aronson, J.: Sarcomere size in developing muscles of a tarsonemid mite. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol.11, 147–156 (1961)
Atwood, H.L.: Crustacean Muscle. In: The structure and function of muscle (ed. G.G.H. Bourne), pp. 421–489. New York: Academic Press 1972
Bittner, G.D.: The differentiation of crayfish muscle fibers during development. J. exp. Zool.167, 439–456 (1968)
Bittner, G.D.: Degeneration and regeneration in crustacean neuromuscular systems. Amer. Zool.13, 379–408 (1973)
Bliss, D.: Autotomy and regeneration. In: The physiology of crustacea (ed. T.H. Waterman), pp. 561–590. New York: Academic Press, 1960
Bryden, M.M.: Growth patterns of individual muscles of the elephant sealMirounga leonina (L.). J. Anat.116, 121–133 (1973)
Chiakulas, J.J., Pauly, J.E.: A study of postnatal growth of skeletal muscle in the rat. Anat. Rec.152, 55–62 (1965)
Costello, W.J., Govind, C.K., Lang, F.: Morphology of the closer muscles during growth of the lobsterHomarus americanus. Amer. Zool.16, 220 (1976)
Davidson, J.: An analysis of cell growth and metabolism in the crayfish (Procambarus alleni). Biol. Bull.110, 264–273 (1956)
Edgerton, V.R.: Morphology and histochemistry of the soleus muscle from normal and exercised rats. Amer. J. Anat.127, 81–88 (1970)
Fischman, D.A.: An electron microscope study of myofibril formation in an embryonic chick skeletal muscle. J. Cell Biol.32, 557–575 (1967)
Goldspink, G.: Studies on post-embryonic growth and development of skeletal muscle. I. Evidence of two phases in which skeletal muscles are able to exist. Proc. roy. Irish Acad. B62, 135–150 (1962)
Goldspink, G.: Sarcomere length during post-natal growth of mammalian muscle fibers. J. Cell Sci.3, 539–548 (1968)
Goldspink, G.: The proliferation of myofibrils during muscle fiber growth. J. Cell Sci.6, 593–603 (1970)
Govind, C.K., Atwood, H.L., Lang, F.: Sarcomere length increases in developing crustacean muscle. J. exp. Zool.189, 395–400 (1974)
Govind, C.K., She, J., Lang, F.: Lengthening of lobster muscle fibers by two age dependent mechanisms. Experientia33, 35–36 (1977)
Griffen, G.E., Goldspink, G.: The increase in skeletal muscle mass in male and female mice. Anat. Rec.177, 465–470 (1973)
Griffen, G.E., Williams, P.E., Goldspink, G.: Region of longitudinal growth in striated muscle fibers. Nature232, 28–29 (1971)
Jahromi, S.S., Atwood, H.L.: Electrical coupling and growth in lobster muscle fibers. Canad. J. Zool.49, 1029–1034 (1971)
Lang, F., Sutterlin, A., Prosser, C.L.: Electrical and mechanical properties of the closer muscle of the Alaskan king crabParalithodes camtschatica. Comp. Biochem. Physiol.32, 615–628 (1970)
Le Gros Clark, W.E.: Muscle. In: The tissues of the body, 4th Ed., pp. 116–159. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1958
Rayne, J., Crawford, G.N.C.: The growth of the muscles of mastication in the rat. J. Anat.113, 391–408 (1972)
Ruska, H., Edwards, G.A.: A new cytoplasmic pattern in striated muscle and its possible relation to growth. Growth21, 73–88 (1957)
Shafiq, S.A.: Electron microscope studies on the indirect flight muscles ofDrosophila melanogaster. II. Differentiation of myofibrils. J. Cell Biol.17, 363–373 (1963)
Williams, P.E., Goldspink G.: Longitudinal growth of striated muscle fibers. J. Cell Sci.9, 751–767 (1971)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
We would like to thank Mr. Martis Ballinger and Mr. Mark R. Meyer for their aid and histology and photography, Mr. Michael Bouton for his assistance in several of the experiments, and Drs. Alan Templeton and Laurence Fox for their help in the statistical analysis of the data. This research was supported by NSF grant No. GB-30199 and NIH grant No. NS-08609.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bittner, G.D., Traut, D.L. Growth of crustacean muscles and muscle fibers. J. Comp. Physiol. 124, 277–285 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00657059
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00657059