Structure of motor endplates in the different fiber types of vertebrate skeletal muscles.

The number and localization of vertebrate motor endplates on the muscle fiber, and their structure, vary according to phylum and species, and among the different fiber types in a given species. Vertebrate skeletal muscle fibers are classified into two major groups: the twitch (fast) and the slow (tonic) fibers. The twitch fiber has straight Z-lines and a well developed T-SR system, and is singly innervated with en plaque (plate-like) type motor endplate. The twitch fibers are further subdivided into three types: the red (mitochondria-rich), intermediate (mitochondria-moderate) and white (mitochondria-poor) fibers. The motor endplate of the white fiber is large and has a complicated structure, that of the red fiber is small and less complicated, and that of the intermediate fiber possesses intermediate characteristics. The slow fiber has zigzag Z-lines and poorly developed sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), and is multiply innervated with en grappe (grape-like) type motor endplates. The morphological features of the motor endplate in each of these fiber types of the mammalian, avian, reptilian, amphibian, and fish skeletal muscles are reviewed. Special emphasis has been placed on the three-dimensional structure of the motor endplates of the different fiber types as observed by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy.