Ontogeny of the Pectoralis muscle in the little brown bat,Myotis lucifugus

The ontogeny of a primary flight muscle, the pectoralis, in the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus: Vespertilionidae) was studied using histochemical, immunocytochemical, and electrophoretic techniques. In fetal and early neonatal (postnatal age 1–6 days) Myotis, histochemical techniques for myofibrillar ATPase (mATPase) and antibodies for slow and fast myosins demonstrated the presence of two fiber types, here called types I and IIa. These data correlated with multiple transitional myosin heavy chain isoforms and native myosin isoforms demonstrated with SDS-PAGE and 4% pyrophosphate PAGE. There was a decrease in the distribution and number of type I fibers with increasing postnatal age. At postnatal age 8–9 days, the adult phenotype was observed with regard to muscle fiber type (100% type IIa fibers) and myosin isoform profile (single adult MHC and native myosin isoforms). This “adult” fiber type profile and myosin isoform composition preceeded adult function by about 2 weeks. For example, little brown bats were incapable of sustained flight until approximately postnatal day 24, and myofiber size did not achieve adult size until approximately postnatal day 25. Although Myotis pectoralis is unique in being composed of 100% type IIa fibers, transitional fiber types and isoforms were present. These transitional forms had been observed previously in other mammals bearing mixed adult muscle fibers and which undergo transitional stages in muscle ontogeny. However, in Myotis pectoralis, this transition transpires relatively early in development. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.