The ultrastructure of locust pleuroaxillary "steering" muscles in comparison to other skeletal muscles.
The ultrastructure of locust muscles with different function is examined: the pleuroaxillary flight steering muscle is compared with a typical flight (power muscle) and a typical leg muscle, in particular with respect to sarcomere length, tracheation, mitochondria, and sarcoplasmatic reticulum. The pleuroaxillary muscle exhibits some features characteristic of flight muscles but most of the ultrastructure resembles that of leg muscles. This is in agreement with the innervation of this muscle by an octopaminergic neuron, which also innervates leg muscles but no other flight muscles. It also supports the hypothesis that octopaminergic neurons are important metabolic regulators and that the above muscle types exhibit important differences in energy metabolism.
Biserova
Natalia M
NM
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biology Faculty, Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, RAS, Borok, Yaroslavl District, Russia. pflueger@neurobiologie.fu-berlin.de
Pflüger
Hans-Joachim
HJ