Freeze-replica observations of guinea pig middle ear muscles.
The histological characteristics of the middle ear muscles, Musculus tensor tympani and M. Stapedius, of the guinea pig were studied using freeze-fracturing technique. No gap junction was observed but the tight junction was found in the tensor tympani muscle, possibly between muscle cells. No distinct difference was found between the size distributions of the apertures and caveolae on the fracture face of the sarcolemma of the two kinds of muscles.
D000818:Animals; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009132:Muscles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012508:Sarcolemma / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013198:Stapedius / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013719:Tensor Tympani / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure*