Morphodifferentiation of skeletal muscle fiber ends at the myotendinous junction in the postnatal Chinese hamster: A scanning electron microscopic study

The postnatal morphodifferentiation of muscle fiber ends at the myotendinous junction was examined by scanning electron microscopy in gastrocnemius muscles of the Chinese hamster. Muscle fiber ends during the first week were simply conical or slightly complex, having a few pit-like invaginations and longitudinal and narrow clefts, By the second week, fiber ends gradually became complicated with an increased number of clefts and finger-like processes, Pits and short clefts linearly arranged towards the fiber tip were visible until the second week, This possibly indicates the linear elongation of the clefts by the fusion of adjacent pits to one another and to preexisting clefts, By the fourth week, the fiber ends had almost fully matured and displayed numerous cytoplasmic processes and lateral grooves.