The fine structure of embryonic chick skeletal muscle cells differentiated in vitro.

Dissociated myoblasts from 12-day chick embryos were cultured in monolayer, and the differentiation of skeletal muscle cells was studied by electron microscopy. The results have revealed a striking ultrastructural similarity between the in vivo and the in vitro developing muscle, particularly with respect to the myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum. This study demonstrates that all the characteristic organelles of mature skeletal muscle can develop in vitro in the absence of nerves.