[Processes of the differentiation and reproduction of different types of muscle cells]

Abstract

The present review is regarding a vast evidence on reproduction, differentiation, and regenerative capacity of various muscle cells on the basis of A. A. Zavarzin's (Senior) parallelism conception. It is specially emphasized that parallelism in the subcellular organization of contractile structures of somatic and of heart muscle goes well together with a totally different principle of organization of these cellular elements (symplasts, or cells, respectively), and with different mechanisms of their histogenesis and regeneration (proliferation of, respectively, myoblasts, or immature myocytes). According to their ultrastructure and pattern of interrelation between proliferation and differentiation process, muscles of lymphatic hearts are closer to somatic muscles rather than to ordinary myocardium. Special attention is called to paradoxical situations, such as the presence of satellite-like cells in the myocardium of Decapoda, DNA-synthesizing capacity observed in the nuclei of growing somatic muscles of the silkworm, or DNA-synthesizing and chromosome-reproducing capacity of adult primate and human cardiomyocytes.