The importance of competition between motoneurones in developing rat muscle; effects of partial denervation at birth

1. The number of motor units in developing fourth deep lumbrical muscles was reduced by unilateral partial denervation of the muscle at birth, by cutting the lateral plantar nerve. A minority of the motor axons arrive via the sural nerve, and were thus not cut. Those muscles that contained one motor unit (one-unit muscles) after partial denervation developed in the absence of competition between motoneurones. Muscles with two motor units had little competition. A few four-unit muscles were studied for comparison. 2. Isometric twitch and tetanic tensions of single motor units were recorded in vitro at 60 days of age in response to stimulation of the sural nerve. On average, units in partially denervated muscles generated more tension than normal units. The isometric tension characteristics of the units in the one-unit and two-unit muscles were different from the normal units (e.g. slower contracting and more fatiguable). The units of four-unit muscles had properties similar to those of normal muscles. 3. Fibres of an individual unit were identified by glycogen depletion and S (slow) fibres were identified in cross-section that bound a polyclonal antibody to slow type I myosin. Those fibres that did not bind the antibody were designated F fibres. The units of one-unit muscles had the same total number of fibres and fibre type composition (both S and F fibres in the same unit) as estimated from previous work to exist at birth. The units of two-unit muscles contained the same total number of fibres, but apparently fewer S fibres, though this may have been as a result of incomplete glycogen depletion of some fibres. 4. It is concluded that competition between motoneurone terminals is necessary for the withdrawal of mismatched connections on muscle fibres present at birth; or, alternatively, that such withdrawal cannot take place if it would result in denervation of the muscle fibre.