Skip to main content
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1968 May 1;37(2):462–481. doi: 10.1083/jcb.37.2.462

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE VENTRAL INTERSEGMENTAL ABDOMINAL MUSCLES OF THE INSECT RHODNIUS PROLIXUS DURING THE MOLTING CYCLE

II. Muscle Changes in Preparation for Molting

Paul A Toselli 1, Frank A Pepe 1
PMCID: PMC2107411  PMID: 5656402

Abstract

The development of the ventral intersegmental abdominal muscles of Rhodnius prolixus is triggered by feeding. The early muscle (1 day after feeding) contains essentially nonstriated fibrils. However, in cross-sections, areas indicating early I bands, Z lines, and A bands can be recognized. Interdigitating thick and thin myofilaments do not assemble into a precise lattice until sometime between 4 and 5 days after feeding. As development continues, the number of fibrils increases, the region corresponding to the Z line increases in density, and the fibrils contain more recognizable striations. The newly formed fibrils broaden as myofilaments are added peripherally. At all stages throughout development, the ratio of thin to thick myofilaments is always 6:1. The formation of fibrils in the abdominal muscles of Rhodnius is different from that in chick embryo skeletal muscle. The major differences are that at all stages in Rhodnius there are (1) a constant ratio of thin to thick myofilaments, and (2) detectable Z-line material. Other findings in Rhodnius suggest (1) that fusion of mononucleated cells with the multinucleated muscle cell occurs, (2) that microtubules develop in the tendon cell concomitantly with development of myofibrils in the associated muscle cell, and (3) that filaments 55A in diameter aggregate into microtubules.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (4.0 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLEN E. R., PEPE F. A. ULTRASTRUCTURE OF DEVELOPING MUSCLE CELLS IN THE CHICK EMBRYO. Am J Anat. 1965 Jan;116:115–147. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001160107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CAPERS C. R. Multinucleation of skeletal muscle in vitro. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1960 Jun;7:559–566. doi: 10.1083/jcb.7.3.559. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Crossley A. C. Transformations in the abdominal muscles of the blue blow-fly, Calliphora erythrocephala (Meig), during metamorphosis. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1965 Aug;14(1):89–110. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HIBBS R. G. Electron microscopy of developing cardiac muscle in chick embryos. Am J Anat. 1956 Jul;99(1):17–51. doi: 10.1002/aja.1000990103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HOLTZER H., MARSHALL J. M., Jr, FINCK H. An analysis of myogenesis by the use of fluorescent antimyosin. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1957 Sep 25;3(5):705–724. doi: 10.1083/jcb.3.5.705. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. KONIGSBERG I. R., MCELVAIN N., TOOTLE M., HERRMANN H. The dissociability of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis from the development of multinuclearity of muscle cells in culture. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1960 Oct;8:333–343. doi: 10.1083/jcb.8.2.333. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LASH J. W., HOLTZER H., SWIFT H. Regeneration of mature skeletal muscle. Anat Rec. 1957 Aug;128(4):679–697. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091280404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Okazaki K., Holtzer H. An analysis of myogenesis in vitro using fluorescein-labeled antimyosin. J Histochem Cytochem. 1965 Nov-Dec;13(8):726–739. doi: 10.1177/13.8.726. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Okazaki K., Holtzer H. Myogenesis: fusion, myosin synthesis, and the mitotic cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 Nov;56(5):1484–1490. doi: 10.1073/pnas.56.5.1484. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. REYNOLDS E. S. The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol. 1963 Apr;17:208–212. doi: 10.1083/jcb.17.1.208. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. SHAFIQ S. A. Electron microscopic studies on the indirect flight muscles of Drosophila melanogaster. II. Differentiation of myofibrils. J Cell Biol. 1963 May;17:363–373. doi: 10.1083/jcb.17.2.363. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. STOCKDALE F. E., HOLTZER H. DNA synthesis and myogenesis. Exp Cell Res. 1961 Sep;24:508–520. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(61)90450-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Toselli P. A., Pepe F. A. The fine structure of the ventral intersegmental abdominal muscles of the insect Rhodnius prolixus during the molting cycle. I. Muscle structure at molting. J Cell Biol. 1968 May;37(2):445–461. doi: 10.1083/jcb.37.2.445. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. VAN BREEMEN V. L. Myofibril development observed with the electron microscope. Anat Rec. 1952 Jun;113(2):179–195. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091130205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES