Barr L, Dewey M M, Berger W
Pflugers Arch. 1979 Jun 12;380(2):165-70. doi: 10.1007/BF00582153.
Bundles of taenia coli muscle as small as 25 micrometers in diameter were dissected from guinea pigs and incubated in an organ culture media for several days. We found that use of an organ-culture bathing solution greatly extended the in vitro responsiveness as well as survival of such small bundles. Electronmicrographs showed that surviving strands of cells constituted only a very small fraction of the cross section of these bundles. Nonetheless, still they supported propagating nondecrementing action potentials. This means that in some cases strands, only a few cells in cross section, supported propagating action potentials. The long length constant and parallel orientation of cells provide a basis assuming cells act as parallel core conductor segments. For these reasons we have called into question the notion that for propagation to occur there must be a facilitating cooperation between large numbers of smooth muscle cells in parallel. Indeed we suggest that the limiting size for propagation is a strand of single cells.
从豚鼠身上解剖出直径小至25微米的结肠带肌束，并在器官培养基中培养数天。我们发现，使用器官培养浴液极大地延长了这种小肌束的体外反应性以及存活时间。电子显微镜照片显示，存活的细胞链仅占这些肌束横截面的很小一部分。尽管如此，它们仍然支持传播性非递减动作电位。这意味着在某些情况下，横截面中只有少数细胞的细胞链支持传播性动作电位。细胞的长长度常数和平行取向为假设细胞作为平行核心导体段起作用提供了基础。出于这些原因，我们对以下观点提出了质疑，即要发生传播，大量平行的平滑肌细胞之间必须存在促进性合作。事实上，我们认为传播的极限大小是单细胞链。
