ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Smooth muscle
;
Myofilaments
;
Vas deferens
;
Electron microscopy
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Smooth muscle cells of the mouse vas deferens fixed with 5% glutaraldehyde contained three types of filaments, namely, thin (50–80 Å) filaments, intermediate (100 Å) filaments and thick (120–180 Å) filaments. However, in 2 out of 16 experiments, under identical conditions, the cells did not contain thick filaments. With OsO4 fixation, thin filaments were not prominent, the most obvious being thick (120–250 Å) and intermediate (100 Å) filaments. After soaking in a modified Ringer solution under no applied tension for one hour, thick filaments (120–180 Å) appeared prominently in smooth muscle cells of the mouse vas deferens and thin filaments were in ordered bundles. By 4 hours, thick filaments had increased in size and density, with thin filaments distributed randomly around them. After 8 hours in Ringer, thin filaments were diffuse and difficult to discern, while thick filaments were large (up to 300 Å) and electron-dense. Intermediate (100 Å) filaments were present in association with dark bodies. Physiological experiments indicated that the intracellular components responsible for the development of a mechanical response were still functional at this time. The presence of “thick filaments” is also reported in degenerating smooth muscle cells of the guinea-pig vas deferens in tissue culture.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00221803
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