On the ultrastructure of primary cultures of normal and dystrophic hamster tongue muscle

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Abstract
Primary cultures, prepared from the tongue muscle of 1-day-old normal and dystrophic (UM-X7.1 strain) hamsters, were examined under the electron microscope after 6 to 8 days in vitro when myotube development was in progress. Myotubes from normal tongue showed development similar to that of muscle of other tissues and species grown in culture. Compared to myotubes of normal cultures, those of dystrophic cultures showed a number of differences. The sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria showed areas of dilation or swelling and poor development. The density of ribosomes and polyribosomes was less, Z-band formation was primitive or absent, myofibrillar formation was less, and its organization was poor. Also, spontaneous contractions in dystrophic myotubes were few and irregular. These differences agree well with those reported for heart cells from the dystrophic (cardiomyopathic) hamster grown in culture.

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