[Vacuolization of muscle fiber exposed to colchicine, cytochalasin B and agents altering cell metabolism].

The vacuolation of transverse tubules during the washing out of glycerol was examined under the light microscope in muscle fibers from the m. iliofibularis of Rana temporaria. The appearance of vacuoles was found to be unaffected by colchicine (2 x 10(-5)--1 x 10(-3) M), cytochalasin B (10 mkg/ml), ATP (5 x 10(-3) M), monoiodoacetate (1 x 10(-3) M), and 2.4-DNP (1 x 10(-4)--1 x 10(-3) M). At low temperatures (3.8 +/- 0.2 degrees C), the time of vacuole-formation increased up to 20 minutes, however after a 1 hour incubation the vacuolation was perfectly developed in both the control (18.5 +/- 0.4 degrees C) and the "low-temperature" fibers. It is suggested that the initial stage of vacuole-formation does not require either metabolic energy or intact system of cytoplasmic microtubules and microfilaments. The effect of low temperature might be due to the loss of the membrane rather than to the lack of metabolic energy.