Summary
We used the histochemical stain for ATPase to compare the fiber-type composition of rat internal and external intercostal muscles from thoracic (T) segments 2–5, 8, and 11. At each level, type II fibers were more numerous than type I fibers, type II B fibers were more numerous than II A fibers, and type I fibers were more numerous in external than in internal intercostals. However, fiber type composition varied from segment to segment. For example, the proportion of type II A fibers increased in a rostrocaudal gradient in internal but not external intercostals, and type I fibers were more prevalent at rostral and caudal than at intermediate levels in both internal and external intercostals. These results provide a basis for interpreting previous physiological and molecular studies which have compared intercostal muscles from different segmental levels.
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Cunningham, J.M., Kaiser, K.K. & Sanes, J.R. Rostrocaudal variation of fiber type composition in rat intercostal muscles. Histochemistry 95, 513–517 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315748