bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SYNTHESIS OF CELLULOSE BY ACETOBACTER XYLINUM
Authors: Ben-Hayyim G. , Ohad I.
Published: May 2004

The transfer of the glucosyl moiety from uridine diphosphate glucose in the presence of Acetobacter xylinum cell-free extracts led to the formation of a mixture of alkali-soluble and -insoluble cellodextrins. Typical cellulose fibrils could not be detected by electron microscopy in this product. Immediately after release into the medium, cellulose formed by whole cells is in a "prefibrous" form which passes through Millipore filters of 0.45 and 0.8 µ pore diameter. Non-filtrable fibrils arise from this material probably by a process of crystallization involving no extracellular enzymes. Fibrils formed in shaken cell suspensions intertwine and form aggregates visible to the naked eye. In quiet suspensions pellicles are formed which float on the surface. Soluble Na-carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is incorporated into cellulose fibrils formed in its presence, probably by a process of co-crystallization. Aggregation of fibrils containing CMC is delayed because of electrostatic repulsion between carboxylic groups. The aggregation time depends on the amount of CMC incorporated, its degree of substitution, the pH of the medium, and the ionic strength. The amount of CMC incorporated depends on the relative concentration CMC/cellulose and on the similarity of the CMC and the cellulose molecules i.e. in molecular weight and the number of carboxyl substitutions. Cellulose pellicles formed in the presence of CMC by unshaken cell suspensions consist of crossed, superimposed layers of parallel oriented cellulose fibrils. The same phenomenon is observed when phosphomannan, but not levan, is substituted for CMC. The biogenesis of oriented cellulose fibrils is envisaged as a process comprising the following steps: polymerization of the monomeric precursor, diffusion of the molecule to crystallization sites, crystallization, and orientation. It is proposed that charged polysaccharides play a role similar to that of CMC in affecting the orientation of cellulose fibrils in the plant cell wall.
NUCLEOSIDE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITIES IN RAT CARDIAC MUSCLE
Authors: Essner Edward , Novikoff Alex B. , Quintana Nelson
Published: May 2004

Localizations of aldehyde-resistant nucleoside phosphatase activities in frozen sections of rat cardiac muscle have been studied by electron microscopy. Activities are higher after fixation with formaldehyde than with glutaraldehyde. After incubation with adenosine triphosphate or inosine diphosphate at pH 7.2, reaction product is found in the "terminal cisternae" or "transverse sacs" of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which, together with the "intermediary vesicles" (T system), constitute the "dyads" or "triads". Reaction product is also present at the membranes of micropinocytotic vacuoles which apparently form from the plasma membrane of capillary endothelial cells and from the sarcolemma. In certain regions of the intercalated discs, reaction product is found within the narrow spaces between sarcolemmas of adjacent cells and within micropinocytotic vacuoles that seem to form from the sarcolemma. With inosine diphosphate, reaction product is also found in other parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. After incubation with cytidine monophosphate at pH 5, reaction product is present in the transverse sacs of sarcoplasmic reticulum, in micropinocytotic vacuoles in capillary endothelium, and in lysosomes of muscle fibers and capillaries. The possible significance of the sarcoplasmic reticulum phosphatases is discussed in relation to the role the reticulum probably plays in moving calcium ions and thereby controlling contraction and relaxation of the muscle fiber.
OLFACTORY CILIA IN THE FROG
Authors: Reese T. S.
Published: May 2004

Olfactory epithelium from the frog was examined in the living state by light microscopy and in the fixed state by electron microscopy. Particular attention was paid to the layer of cilia and mucus which covers the surface of the epithelium. The olfactory cilia differed from typical cilia in that they (a) arose from bipolar neurons and had centrioles near their basal bodies, (b) were up to 200 microns in length, of which the greater part was a distal segment containing an atypical array of ciliary fibers, (c) were often immotile, (d) had their distal segments arranged in parallel rows near the surface of the mucus, and (e) had many vesicles along their shafts and had splits in the array of fibers in their distal segments. These specializations make the olfactory cilia similar to cilia found on other sensory cells and support the theory that they are the locus where electrical excitation in the olfactory organ is initiated by contact with odorous substances.
THE NUCLEIC ACIDS OF BASAL BODIES ISOLATED FROM TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS
Authors: Hoffman Eugene J.
Published: May 2004

Pellicular fragments were isolated from ethanol-fixed cells of the holotrichous ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis by the action of digitonin. The isolated pellicles were further fragmented and the basal bodies of the cilia isolated from them by three methods. The preparations, examined in the electron microscope as embedded sections or negatively stained samples, consisted mainly of somewhat deformed pellicular material, the bulk of which was basal body. DNA was determined by the diphenylamine method and by reaction with DNase, and RNA, by the orcinol method. Nucleic acids were isolated by phenol extraction and analyzed spectrophotometrically and by reaction with RNase. The assays indicated 1.2 to 2.6 per cent RNA, similar to previously published work, but only 0.0 to 1.0 per cent DNA, near enough the sensitivity limits to render the presence of DNA in the preparations uncertain. Although the isolation procedure removed nuclear contents and ribosomes, the nucleic acids could still be a residual contaminant bound to the pellicle during the isolation. Hypotheses of basal body self-duplication, moreover, can be constructed both with and without nucleic acids.
OBSERVATIONS ON PRISMATIC-TYPE MITOCHONDRIA WITHIN ASTROCYTES OF THE SYRIAN HAMSTER BRAIN
Authors: Blinzinger K. , Rewcastle N. B. , Hager H.
Published: May 2004

This paper describes a special form of mitochondria which has been observed using the electron microscope in certain astrocytes of the Syrian hamster brain. The interior structural pattern of these mitochondria is characterized by the presence of numerous equilateral prismatic tubules in a highly regular hexagonal arrangement, instead of the customary foliate cristae. Such mitochondria have been designated as "prismatic type," in contradistinction to the more usually encountered crista and tubular types. The findings are compared with the occasional similar findings reported in the literature, and their possible functional meaning is briefly discussed.
FINE STRUCTURE OF THE OCTOPUS RETINA
Authors: Yamamoto Toshiyuki , Tasaki Kyoji , Sugawara Yoshio , Tonosaki Akira
Published: May 2004

The fine structure of the visual and the supporting cells and of the blood capillaries in the octopus retina is described. Lamellated structures contained in the proximal segment of the visual cell consist of compact arrays of dense membranes each of which is quintuple-layered and divides at its margins into two thinner sheets or membranes which are connected directly with the agranular or granular endoplasmic reticulum. Proximal to the deeper extremities of the rhabdomeres, the lateral plasma membranes of two adjoining visual cells contact each other forming a quintuple-layered compound membrane, which results in occlusion of the intercellular space. The central layer of the compound membrane is of high density, so that the membrane, as a whole, appears to be a single thick layer at low magnifications. The supporting cells are connected with the neighboring visual cells by two types of junctions. Long slender processes extend from the supporting cells to the surface of the retina through narrow spaces among the distal segments of the visual cells. The capillary endothelial cells are characterized by luminal surfaces irregularly contoured and by lateral surfaces elaborately interdigitated. The functional significance of the close contact between adjoining visual cells is discussed.
SYNTHETIC ACTIVITIES DURING SPERMATOGENESIS IN THE LOCUST
Authors: Das Nirmal K. , Siegel Elsie P. , Alfert Max
Published: May 2004

Isolated testes of the locust Schistocerca gregaria were immersed in solutions of tritiated thymidine, cytidine, uridine, or arginine for short periods to study nucleic acid and protein synthesis during spermatogenesis. DNA synthesis in this tissue is completed prior to initiation of meiosis. Protein synthesis continues throughout the whole meiotic cycle as well as during spermatid development. Meiotic cells, except those in metaphase through early telophase, and early spermatids are also actively synthesizing RNA. The heteropycnotic X-chromosome does not produce RNA at any stage of spermatogenesis. The rates of protein and particularly RNA synthesis decrease as chromosome condensation progresses. Depression of RNA synthesis, however, is not always accompanied by cytologically detectable condensation of chromatin, since very little or no RNA is synthesized in spermatids in which chromatin condensation has barely begun.
MORPHOLOGY OF GAMETE MEMBRANE FUSION AND OF SPERM ENTRY INTO OOCYTES OF THE SEA URCHIN
Authors: Franklin Luther E.
Published: May 2004

Sea urchin gametes predominate in molecular studies of fertilization, yet relatively little is known of the subcellular aspects of sperm entry in this group. Accordingly, it seemed desirable to make a detailed examination of sperm entry phenomena in sea urchins with the electron microscope. Gametes of the sea urchins Arbacia punctulata and Lytechinus variegatus were used in this study. Samples of eggs containing 2 to 8 per cent oocytes were selected and fixed with osmium tetroxide in sea water at various intervals after insemination. Fixed specimens were embedded in Epon 812, sectioned, and examined with an electron microscope. An apical vesicle was observed at the anterior end of the acrosome. The presence of this structure, together with other observations, suggested that initiation of the acrosome reaction in sea urchin sperm involves dehiscence of the acrosomal region with the subsequent release of the acrosomal granule. Contact and initial fusion of gamete membranes was observed in mature eggs and oocytes and invariably involved the extended acrosomal tubule of the spermatozoon. Only one spermatozoon normally enters the mature egg. The probability of locating such a sperm in ultrathin sections is exceedingly low. Several sperm do normally enter oocytes. Consequently, observations of sperm entry were primarily restricted to the latter. The manner of sperm entry into oocytes did not resemble phagocytosis. Organelles of the spermatozoon were progressively divested of their plasma membrane as they entered the ground cytoplasm of the oocyte fertilization cone. Initiation of the acrosome reaction, contact and initial fusion of gamete membranes, and sperm entry into oocytes of sea urchins conform to the Hydroides-Saccoglossus pattern of early fertilization events as described by Colwin and Colwin (13).
ISOLATION OF NERVE ENDINGS FROM THE POSTERIOR PITUITARY GLAND
Authors: Labella Frank S. , Sanwal Madhu
Published: May 2004

Bovine posterior pituitary glands were homogenized in 10 per cent sucrose and fractionated by differential centrifugation. The following centrifugation procedure resulted in the most satisfactory separation: 1000 g for 15 minutes—nuclei, connective tissue, basement membranes with associated endothelium, giant nerve endings, and whole pituicytes; 4200 g for 15 minutes—free nerve endings, including Herring bodies; 17,000 g for 15 minutes—mitochondria; 68,000 g for 15 minutes—neurosecretory granules. Electron microscopic examination was carried out on whole tissue and on the isolated fractions. Isolated nerve endings were examined also by negative staining techniques. Isolated nerve endings retain an apparently normal complement of mitochondria, neurosecretory granules, and microvesicles ("synaptic" vesicles). The free nerve endings closely resemble those observed in sections of intact posterior pituitary tissue. Free microvesicles were not observed in any of the fractions isolated and apparently sediment at centrifugal forces higher than those employed in this study.
THE SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM AND TRANSVERSE TUBULES OF THE FROG'S SARTORIUS
Authors: Peachey Lee D.
Published: May 2004

The sarcoplasmic reticulum of the frog's sartorius muscle was examined by electron microscopy following sequential fixation in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and embedding in Epon. The earlier results of Porter and Palade on Ambystoma muscle were confirmed in the sartorius. In addition, the transverse tubules were observed to be continuous across the width of the fiber, a set of flat intermediate cisternae was seen to connect the terminal cisternae to the longitudinal tubules in the A band, and the continuous reticulum collar at the center of the A band was found to be perforated by circular and elongated pores (the fenestrated collar). The transverse tubules have a volume about 0.3 per cent of the fiber volume, and a surface area about 7 times the outer cylindrical surface area for a fiber 100 µ in diameter. The terminal cisternae, the intermediate cisternae, and the longitudinal tubules together with the fenestrated collar each have a volume of 4 to 5 per cent of the fiber volume and a surface area 40 to 50 times the outer surface area of a fiber 100 µ in diameter. Some evidence for continuity of the transverse tubules with the fiber surface is presented, but this is thought to be not so convincing as evidence presented by others. The results are discussed in terms of a possible mechanism for a role of the transverse tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum in excitation-contraction coupling, as suggested by their morphology and a variety of physiological studies. In this scheme, the transverse tubules are thought to be electrically coupled to the terminal cisternae, so that depolarization of the fiber surface spreads inward along the transverse tubules and to the terminal cisternae, initiating the release of a contraction-activating substance.
CHANGES IN THE DNA CONTENT OF ADRENAL MEDULLA NUCLEI OF RATS INTERMITTENTLY EXPOSED TO COLD
Authors: Viola-Magni Maria Pia
Published: May 2004

In the adrenal medulla of rats exposed intermittently to cold (+4°C) for 100 and 300 hours, a considerable decrease (24 to 40 per cent) of the DNA content per nucleus was observed, followed by restoration to normal or above normal values within 10 days after the withdrawal of the stimulus. The findings were obtained with a scanning integrating histophotometer, and confirmed by microinterferometric investigations (on the basis of the measurement of total dry mass of nuclei isolated in aqueous medium before and after treatment with DNase) and by microchemical determinations, combined with the count of the nuclei in the homogenates. The observed decrease of DNA content cannot be attributed to errors of the methods used, nor to consequences of cellular degeneration. The available evidence seems to indicate a real decrease rather than a change in the state of a part of DNA in the nucleus in vivo whereby it becomes extractable by aqueous solutions. The restoration cannot be due to mitotic processes, which were actually never detected even with the use of colchicine, since the adrenal medulla cells in the adult rat are known to be irreversible, postmitotic cells. A correlation between the functional activity of the adrenal medulla cells and the content or state of DNA in their nuclei is demonstrated.
THE FINE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE TENTACLE IN TOKOPHRYA INFUSIONUM
Authors: Rudzinska Maria A.
Published: May 2004

The feeding apparatus of Suctoria consists of long, thin, stiff tubes called tentacles. When a swimming prey attaches to the tip of the tentacle a number of events follow in rapid succession. The tentacle broadens, a stream of tiny granules starts to move upward at its periphery to the tip, the prey becomes immobilized and shortly thereafter the cytoplasm of the still living prey begins to flow through the center of the tentacle to the body of the predator. An electron microscope study of the tentacle in Tokophrya infusionum, a protozoan of the subclass Suctoria, has disclosed a number of structural details which help to clarify some of the mechanisms involved in this unusual way of feeding. Each tentacle is composed of two concentric tubes. The lumen of the inner tube is surrounded by 49 tubular fibrils most probably of contractile nature. In the inner tube the cytoplasm of the prey is present during feeding, and in the outer tube are small dense bodies. It was found that the dense bodies originate in the cytoplasm of Tokophrya. They have an elongate, missile-like appearance, pointed at one end, rounded at the other, and are composed of several distinct segments. At the tip of the tentacle they penetrate the plasma membrane, with their pointed ends sticking out. It is assumed that the missile-like bodies play a major role in the feeding process. Their composite structure suggests that they might contain a number of enzymes which most probably are responsible for the various events preceding the actual food intake.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDIES ON ENZYME ACTIVITY AND THE ISOLATION OF THIOHYDANTOIN-INDUCED MYELIN FIGURES IN RAT LIVER
Authors: Herdson P. B. , Kaltenbach J. P.
Published: May 2004

Characteristic cytoplasmic inclusions (myelin figures), consisting of concentric multilaminar paired membranes surrounding one or more lipid bodies, were produced in rat liver parenchymal cells by incorporating high doses of an anticonvulsant agent (Bax 422Z) into the animals' diet. Enzymatic reaction product (presumably lead phosphate) was found around the central fat of these myelin figures in liver which had been fixed in glutaraldehyde, incubated in Wachstein and Meisel's medium containing adenosine triphosphate or inosine tri- or diphosphate, postosmicated, embedded in epoxy resin, and examined in the electron microscope. In an attempt to isolate myelin figures, fresh liver from medicated rats was homogenized and differentially centrifuged. Thin sections of osmium tetroxide-fixed, Epon-embedded pellets from each fraction were examined with the electron microscope. The concentric membranous whorls, which are probably derived from cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum, broke up as the cells were disrupted and became inextricably mixed with the microsomal fraction. However, when liver previously fixed in formalin for 24 hours was homogenized, the myelin figures remained intact.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF OBLIQUELY STRIATED MUSCLE FIBERS IN ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES
Authors: Rosenbluth Jack
Published: May 2004

The somatic musculature of the nematode, Ascaris, is currently thought to consist of smooth muscle fibers, which contain intracellular supporting fibrils arranged in a regular pattern. Electron microscopic examination shows that the muscle fibers are, in fact, comparable to the striated muscles of vertebrates in that they contain interdigitating arrays of thick and thin myofilaments which form H, A, and I bands. In the A bands each thick filament is surrounded by about 10 to 12 thin filaments. The earlier confusion about the classification of this muscle probably arose from the fact that in one longitudinal plane the myofilaments are markedly staggered and, as a result, the striations in that plane of section are not transverse but oblique, forming an angle of only about 6° with the filament axis. The apparent direction of the striations changes with the plane of the section and may vary all the way from radial to longitudinal. A three-dimensional model is proposed which accounts for the appearance of this muscle in various planes. Z lines as such are absent but are replaced by smaller, less orderly, counterpart "Z bundles" to which thin filaments attach. These bundles are closely associated with fibrillar dense bodies and with deep infoldings of the plasma membrane. The invaginations of the plasma membrane together with intracellular, flattened, membranous cisternae form dyads and triads. It is suggested that these complexes, which also occur at the cell surface, may constitute strategically located, low-impedance patches through which local currents are channeled selectively.
PHENOBARBITAL-INDUCED SYNTHESIS OF THE MICROSOMAL DRUG-METABOLIZING ENZYME SYSTEM AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROLIFERATION OF ENDOPLASMIC MEMBRANES
Authors: Orrenius Sten , Ericsson Jan L. E. , Ernster Lars
Published: May 2004

Liver microsomes, isolated from rats which had been treated with phenobarbital in vivo, were found to exhibit increased activities of oxidative demethylation and TPNH-cytochrome c reductase and an increased amount of CO-binding pigment. Simultaneous administration of actinomycin D or puromycin abolished the phenobarbital-induced enzyme synthesis. Increased rate of Pi32 incorporation into microsomal phospholipid was the first sign of phenobarbital stimulation and appeared 3 hours after a single injection of this drug. Microsomes were divided into smooth-surfaced and rough-surfaced vesicle fractions. The fraction consisting of smooth-surfaced vesicles exhibited the greatest increase in protein content and oxidative demethylation activity after phenobarbital administration in vivo. Ultrastructural studies revealed that drug treatment also gave rise to proliferation of the endoplasmic reticulum in the hepatic parenchymal cells, first noticed after two phenobarbital injections. The phenobarbital-induced synthesis of the metabolizing enzymes is discussed with special reference to the relationship to the stimulated synthesis of the endoplasmic membranes.
THE STRUCTURE OF CELLS DURING TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS REPRODUCTION
Authors: Kolehmainen L. , Zech H. , von Wettstein D.
Published: May 2004

The submicroscopic organization of mesophyll cells from tobacco leaves systemically infected with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is described. After fixation with glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide the arrangement of the TMV particles within the crystalline inclusions is well preserved. Only the ribonucleic acid-containing core of the virus particles is visible in the micrographs. Besides the hexagonal virus crystals, several characteristic types of "inclusion bodies" are definable in the cytoplasm: The so-called fluid crystals seem to correspond to single layers of oriented TMV particles between a network of the endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes. Unordered groups or well oriented masses of tubes with the diameter of the TMV capsid are found in certain areas of the cytoplasm. A complicated inclusion body is characterized by an extensively branched and folded part of the endoplasmic reticulum, containing in its folds long aggregates of flexible rods. Certain parts of the cytoplasm are filled with large, strongly electron-scattering globules, probably of lipid composition. These various cytoplasmic differentiations and the different forms of presumed virus material are discussed in relation to late stages of TMV reproduction and virus crystal formation.
A LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF SMALL, SPHERICAL NUCLEAR BODIES IN MERISTEMATIC CELLS OF ALLIUM CEPA, VICIA FABA, AND RAPHANUS SATIVUS
Authors: Lafontaine J. G.
Published: May 2004

Interphase, preprophase, and prophase nuclei of meristematic cells of Allium cepa, Vicia faba, and Raphanus sativus are characterized by the presence of spherical bodies approximately 1 µ in diameter. These structures are Feulgen-negative but stain metachromatically with azure B, as the nucleolus, following fixation with glutaraldehyde. At the ultrastructural level, they consist predominantly of fibrils estimated to be between 70 and 100 A in diameter which greatly resemble those found within certain zones of the nucleolus in these plant species. Moreover, in Allium cepa, these spherules often exhibit dense particles which are also found within the fibrillar zones of the nucleolus in this species. The observations that the bodies in question are frequently located at the surface of the nucleolus and moreover show cytochemical and ultrastructural similarities with this organelle suggest that they may originate from the nucleolus. However, the common association of the spherules with chromosome strands may indicate instead that these bodies represent extranucleolar ribonucleoprotein materials synthesized by specific chromosomal loci.
STRANDEDNESS OF VICIA FABA CHROMOSOMES AS REVEALED BY ENZYME DIGESTION STUDIES
Authors: Trosko James E. , Wolff Sheldon
Published: May 2004

Chromosomes and nuclei isolated from neutral formalin-fixed Vicia faba lateral roots were treated with trypsin, pepsin, RNase, or DNase. Only trypsin affected the morphology of the chromosomes and nuclei. The appearance of the chromosomes after trypsin digestion indicated that each chromatid contained four strands that could be seen with an ordinary light microscope. The experiments are interpreted as indicating that mitotic chromosomes of Vicia faba are multistranded and that the linear continuity of the chromosome is dependent on protein.
THE INTRACELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF HEME BY A FLUORESCENCE TECHNIQUE
Authors: Granick S. , Levere Richard D.
Published: May 2004

A new technique for the intracellular localization of minute amounts of heme and hemoproteins is described. The specimen is treated with 1.5 M perchloric acid in the presence of SH groups, followed by ultraviolet light irradiation in a fluorescence microscope. This fixes the proteins in situ and converts the heme to a porphyrin which fluoresces and is readily visualized. With this technique, hemoglobin has been demonstrated in the nuclei of avian erythrocytes, and in the nuclei of human normoblasts at an earlier stage than previously described. In addition, hemoproteins, presumably cytochromes, have been detected in the cytoplasm and nuclei of myelocytes, in thymus lymphocyte nuclei, in chick embryo liver cytoplasm, and in chick embryo somites.
COMBINED BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF PARTICULATE FRACTIONS FROM RAT LIVER
Authors: Baudhuin Pierre , Beaufay Henri , de Duve Christian
Published: May 2004

Six particulate preparations isolated from rat liver under different experimental conditions were analyzed biochemically and examined in the electron microscope. The results confirm the lysosomal nature of the pericanalicular dense bodies and demonstrate that the microbodies are the bearers of urate oxidase, catalase, and D-amino acid oxidase. Catalase, representing a major component of the particles, and D-amino acid oxidase appear to be associated with the structureless "sap" of the particles, urate oxidase with their crystalloid core or with their outer membrane.
EFFECT OF DEHYDROASCORBIC ACID ON THE ISLETS OF LANGERHANS OF THE RAT PANCREAS
Authors: Merlini Dino , Caramia Felice
Published: May 2004

Rat pancreatic islets have been studied following successive daily administration of dehydroascrobic acid (DHA) and during the recovery phase following 3 daily injections. One injection of DHA produces degranulation of B cells seen in the light microscope as a loss of aldehyde fuchsin positivity. In the electron microscope the B cells appear to have secretory granules accumulated subjacent to the plasma membranes. Following 2 and 3 daily injections, B cells evidence alterations in the organization of the granular endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, and secretory granules are scant but when present are subjacent to the plasma membrane. After 5 to 7 days' recovery few secretory granules remain in B cell cytoplasm, but the cells have prominent granular ER and a Golgi apparatus with numerous prosecretory granules. The primary effect of DHA is an exaggerated secretory response of B cells, which is intensified with subsequent injections. Necrosis of B cells as produced by alloxan is not seen.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE TRANSITIONAL EPITHELIUM OF RAT URETER
Authors: Hicks R. M.
Published: May 2004

The fine structure of the transitional epithelium of rat ureter has been studied in thin sections with the electron microscope, including some stained cytochemically to show nucleoside triphosphatase activity. The epithelium is three to four cells deep with cuboidal or columnar basal cells, intermediate cells, and superficial squamous cells. The basal cells are attached by half desmosomes, or attachment plates, on their basal membranes to a basement membrane which separates the epithelium from the lamina propria. Fine extracellular fibres, ca. 100 A in diameter, are to be found in the connective tissue layer immediately below the basement membrane of this epithelium. The plasma membranes of the basal and intermediate cells and the lateral and basal membranes of the squamous cells are deeply interdigitated, and nucleoside triphosphatase activity is associated with them. All the cells have a dense feltwork of tonofilaments which ramify throughout the cytoplasm. The existence of junctional complexes, comprising a zonula occludens, zonula adhaerens, and macula adhaerens or desmosome, between the lateral borders of the squamous cells is reported. It is suggested that this complex is the major obstacle to the free flow of water from the extracellular spaces into the hypertonic urine. The free luminal surface of the squamous cells and many cytoplasmic vesicles in these cells are bounded by an unusually thick plasma membrane. The three leaflets of this unit membrane are asymmetric, with the outer one about twice as thick as the innermost one. The vesicles and the plasma membrane maintain angular conformations which suggest the membrane to be unusually rigid. No nucleoside triphosphatase activity is associated with this membrane. Arguments are presented to support a suggestion that this thick plasma membrane is the morphological site of a passive permeability barrier to water flow across the cells, and that keratin may be included in the membrane structure. The possible origin of the thick plasma membrane in the Golgi complex is discussed. Bodies with heterogeneous contents, including characteristic hexagonally packed stacks of thick membranes, are described. It is suggested that these are "disposal units" for old or surplus thick membrane. A cell type is described, which forms only 0.1 to 0.5 per cent of the total cell population and contains bundles of tubular fibres or crystallites. Their origin and function are not known.
DEGENERATION IN THE EFFERENT NERVE ENDINGS IN THE COCHLEA AFTER AXONAL SECTION
Authors: Smith Catherine A. , Rasmussen Grant L.
Published: May 2004

Both roots of the olivo-cochlear nerve bundle to one ear were transected in the brain stems of 12 chinchillas. The animals were sacrificed at times ranging from 2 to 35 days after surgery. The normal olivo-cochlear terminals on the external hair cells in the cochleas of the control ears contained many mitochondria and small vesicles of constant size. The earliest evidence for degeneration was the presence of fine 100 A filaments in the proximal parts of the terminals. These were visible at 2 days. Animals sacrificed at later times showed a greater number of filaments and fewer vesicles, but few mitochondrial changes. After 1 week, disintegration of the terminals was more prominent. A few terminals showed mitochondrial swelling and lysis of the plasma membrane but few or no filaments within the first week. These latter terminals were interpreted as representing a more rapid process of disintegration than those terminals characterized by numerous filaments and seemingly unchanged mitochondria.
FINE STRUCTURE OF THE SURFACE OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF HUMAN BRAIN
Authors: Ramsey Helen J.
Published: May 2004

Evidence is presented for the existence of arborizing cytoplasmic processes extending from the surface of the cerebral cortex of human brain into the surrounding fluid medium. These originate from subpial fibrous astrocytes and contain the usual cytoplasmic organelles of those cells. They are bordered by basement membrane. Their occurrence is localized and variable over the cortical surface. They are more prevalent in pathological human material than in "normal" human brain and somewhat more prevalent in the latter than in normal rat cortex. Some additional information is presented regarding the relationship of leptomeninges to the cortical surface. The pia mater does not invariably adhere inseparably to the subjacent layer of fibrous astrocytes as generally assumed at present, nor does it always form a continuous layer over the surface of the brain in the material under study. Both collagen and cytoplasmic extensions of astrocytes intervene between these layers. These findings imply that glial elements of the cortex have direct access to the cerebrospinal fluid.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF SYMPATHETIC NEURONS IN X-IRRADIATED FROGS
Authors: Pick Joseph
Published: May 2004

The effects of whole body x-irradiation on the fine structure of sympathetic neurons were studied in 15 unanesthetized adult frogs (Rana pipiens), as seen at intervals ranging from 1 hour to 2 weeks after single exposures to 1000 r and 2000 r. Using standard procedures, the lumbar sympathetic ganglia of experimental and 20 control animals were prepared for electron microscope examination. Radiation produced conspicuous but irregular and variable deterioration, swelling, and clearing of neuronal lysosomes. These changes may have been due to an increased permeability of lysosomal membranes, causing the entry of fluid into lysosomes and their swelling and deterioration, but a pronounced escape of lysosomal enzymes into the cytoplasm was questionable. Less frequent were the dilatation and the parallel layering or complete fusion and tight packing of the rough-edged endoplasmic reticulum. The number of vacuoles, probably derived from Golgi cisternae, was somewhat increased. These vacuoles were conjectured to serve the "sequestration" of damaged cytoplasmic areas. Abnormal amounts of presumptive glycogen granules occupied some axons of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers, especially of presynaptic nerve fibers. This was assumed to be due to a decreased breakdown of glycogen and probably caused the interruption of the transmission of nerve impulses in presynaptic fibers. The maximal incidence of these alterations seemingly occurred 8 days after exposure to 1000 r, and 1 hour after x-irradiation with 2000 r. Signs of recovery appeared 2 weeks after exposure to 2000 r.
ISOLATION AND SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF CELL NUCLEI FROM BRAIN CORTEX OF ADULT CAT
Authors: Hadjiolov A. A. , Tencheva Z. S. , Bojadjieva-Mikhailova A. G.
Published: May 2004

A rapid detergent method for the isolation of nuclei from cat brain cortex is described. It involves the homogenization of the tissue in buffered 0.34 M sucrose with the addition of the non-ionic detergent Cemulsol NPT 12 and the subsequent low speed centrifugal sieving of the nuclei through two layers of sucrose (0.68 M and 1.0 M). The final purification is achieved by high speed centrifugation (40,000 g) of the nuclear suspension layered over 1.8 M sucrose. Observations by light microscopy indicate that highly purified and well preserved nuclei are obtained from neurons and glial cells. Electron microscopy reveals some microsomal contaminants adhering to the nuclear membrane. According to an analysis of the nuclear size distribution, a considerable loss of smaller nuclei (10 to 20µ2), mainly from glial cells, occurs during the purification procedure. The action of different detergents is compared, the best results being obtained with Cemulsol NPT 12 or Triton X-100. Chemical analyses of the purified nuclear fraction give the following content expressed in picograms per nucleus: DNA, 6.54; RNA, 2.94; cholesterol, 1.50; and protein, 97.5. The sucrose density gradient centrifugation of nuclei isolated from cat brain cortex shows that their density is equal to or higher than that of 2.2 M sucrose and is thus similar to the density of nuclei from other tissues. The observation of a varying influence of different suspending media on the density of brain cell nuclei resolves the conflicting data in the literature on the density of these nuclei.
ULTRASTRUCTURE OF SOMATIC MUSCLE CELLS IN ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES
Authors: Rosenbluth Jack
Published: May 2004

Somatic muscle cells of Ascaris lumbricoides consist of three differently specialized components referred to as the fiber, which contains the contractile apparatus (described previously), the belly, and the arm. The belly is shown to be a sac of glycogen, which is depleted during starvation of the animal. The arm extends to a nerve cord where it establishes a myoneural junction characterized by giant mitochondria and clusters of vesicles in the nerve fibers and by a 500 A neuromuscular gap. The arms, which have been shown to be "electrically interconnected" in the vicinity of the nerve cord, form "tight junctions" with one another in just this region. At high magnification, these junctions can be resolved into several types. In some there is fusion of the outer leaflets of the membranes with formation of an intermediate line. Others resemble septate desmosomes in that a residual extracellular space ∼20 A in width remains between the membranes, but the outer leaflets are interconnected across the gap. It is suggested that the term "tight junction" encompasses a variety of structures distinguishable only at high magnification and that the different variations are not necessarily equivalent functionally.
LIGHT-INDUCED VOLUME CHANGES IN SPINACH CHLOROPLASTS
Authors: Packer Lester , Siegenthaler Paul-andré , Nobel Park S.
Published: May 2004

A light-dependent mechanism that results in a slow, high-amplitude swelling of spinach chloroplasts in vitro has been discovered. The swelling is readily observed by optical and gravimetric methods, and by the use of an electronic particle counter; all show a 100 per cent increase of chloroplast volume in the light with an approximately 10-minute half-time. The existence of an osmotic mechanism for chloroplast swelling in the dark is confirmed. The volume of illuminated chloroplasts versus NaCl concentration represents the addition of osmotic and light effects. The action of light is enhanced by electron flow cofactors, such as phenazine methosulfate (PMS). However, neither conditions for ATP hydrolysis or synthesis nor NH4Cl influence the time course and extent of swelling. Hence, high-amplitude chloroplast swelling is light- (or electron flow), but not energy-dependent. A remarkable inhibitory effect of inorganic phosphate on chloroplast swelling is observed in the light, but not in the dark. Another action of light on chloroplasts is known to result in a shrinkage of chloroplasts which is rapid, reversible, energy-dependent, and requires phosphate. Thus phosphate determines the action of light on chloroplast volume. Since shrinkage is reversible, but swelling is not, it may be that they reflect physiological and deteriorative processes, respectively. Chloroplasts and mitochondria appear to control their volume by similar mechanisms.
MECHANISM OF SUPERCONTRACTION IN A STRIATED MUSCLE
Authors: Hoyle Graham , McAlear James H. , Selverston Allen
Published: May 2004

The phenomenon of contraction of a striated muscle down to below 50 per cent rest length has been examined for the scutal depressor of the barnacle Balanus nubilus by a combination of phase contrast and electron microscopy. It was found that neurally evoked contraction down to 60 per cent rest length results from the shortening of the I band. At the same time the Z disc changes in structure by an active process which results in spaces opening up within it. Thick filaments can now pass through these spaces from adjacent sarcomeres, interdigitating across the discs. Interdigitation permits repetitive contraction in the living muscle to below 30 per cent rest length. In non-neurally evoked contractions most thick filaments do not find spaces in the Z disc and bend back, giving rise to contraction band artifacts. Expansion of the Z disc can be produced in glycerinated material by the addition of solutions containing a high concentration of ATP.
THE INITIAL STRUCTURAL LESION OF PENICILLIN ACTION IN BACILLUS MEGATERIUM
Authors: Fitz-James Philip , Hancock Ronald
Published: May 2004

The effect of penicillin on the structure of Bacillus megaterium cells was followed in media with and without osmotic stabilization. In peptone without osmotic support the cells showed a distortion of the normal membrane-wall relationship by 20 minutes. This appeared to be a combination of both membrane distortion and cytoplasmic leakage. Lytic changes quickly followed. With osmotic support a clean-cut lesion at the transverse-septal site developed by 10 minutes' growth in penicillin. The membrane lost its normal relationship to the cell wall and formed a pocket which was filled with a fibrous material which appeared to be unorganized wall mucopeptide. The pocket of fibers enlarged until the cell either lysed or formed a protoplast.
STUDIES ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BRUSH BORDER IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS
Authors: Overton Jane , Eichholz Alexander , Crane Robert K.
Published: May 2004

Two of the fractions obtained by density gradient centrifugation of Tris-disrupted brush borders from hamster intestinal mucosa have been identified as the microvillus cores and their surrounding membranous coats, respectively. This identification has the following morphological basis. In shadowed preparations one fraction (cores) appears as rounded, compact rods, and the other fraction (coats) appears as flattened sheets. Both rods and sheets have dimensions appropriate to the identities assigned to them. In addition, negative staining shows that the rods are composed of aligned particles of roughly 60 A, consistent with the appearance of the core in tissue section, where 60-A fibrils are characteristic. The sheets are covered by non-aligned particles of approximately the same size. Sectioned preparations show that the core fraction contains predominantly fibrous material with some membranous contamination and that the coat fraction is apparently composed exclusively of elongated sacs with a unit membrane structure. Some details of the structure of the core are evident in cases where the compact rod appears to be loosened, revealing a doubled strand. The strand is approximately 350 A wide; the compact rod is roughly twice this width. With negative staining the strand shows a dense central region. The morphological identification presented here is consistent with the distribution of enzymic activity among the density gradient fractions described in the preceding paper.
AN EFFECT OF ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE ON THE LIGHT SCATTERED BY SUSPENSIONS OF CILIA
Authors: Gibbons I. R.
Published: May 2004

Cilia were isolated from Tetrahymena pyriformis by an ethanol-calcium method. Addition of adenosine triphosphate to a suspension of intact or digitonin-extracted cilia caused a decrease of about 20 per cent in turbidity. Study of fractionated cilia showed that the presence of two distinct axonemal components, the outer fibers and the 30S dynein (the axonemal ATPase protein), was necessary for this effect on turbidity to occur. The decrease in turbidity is interpreted as a result of a specific interaction of ATP with these protein components causing an effective increase in hydration. The high nucleotide specificity suggests that the change in hydration is closely related to the processes responsible for motility. The outer fibers themselves swell when suspended in media of very low ionic strength. The concentration of salt needed to prevent this swelling (2 mM MgSO4 or 30 mM KCl) is about the same as that needed to keep dynein bound to the fibers. The recombination of purified 30S dynein with the outer fibers can be followed by the rise in turbidity resulting from increased dry mass of the particles.
COLLAGENOLYTIC ACTIVITY IN RAT BONE CELLS
Authors: Woods John F. , Nichols George
Published: May 2004

An assay system for estimating quantitatively collagenase-like activity present in bone cells has been developed as part of a more general investigation of mechanisms of bone resorption. Methods are described for preparing from bone a C14-labeled collagen which is relatively pure and highly resistant to degradation by trypsin although readily broken down by bacterial collagenase. Collagenolytic activity in homogenates of bone cells harvested from rat metaphyseal bone was measured as the number of counts per minute released in ultrafiltrable form from the C14-labeled collagen substrate after 40 minutes' incubation at 37°C and pH 7.3. Using these techniques, the presence of collagenase-like activity in whole bone cell homogenates was confirmed and the heat lability, partial cation dependence, pH optimum, and some other characteristics of the crude material were determined. Moreover, the major portion of the homogenate activity was found in a particulate fraction sedimenting in a centrifugal field between 700 and 15,000 g. The marked enhancement and solubilization of this activity by surface-active agents or freeze-thawing, together with the presence of considerable acid phosphatase activity in the same fraction and its sedimentation characteristics, suggested that it might be contained in lysosomes or similar bodies. The implications of these observations with respect to the physiology of collagen resorption in general and bone resorption in particular are discussed.
LOCALIZATION OF ANTIBODIES BY ELECTRON MICROSCOPY IN DEVELOPING ANTIBODY-PRODUCING CELLS
Authors: de Petris S. , Karlsbad Gioanna
Published: May 2004

The development of antibody-producing cells in the early stages of the secondary or hyperimmune response has been studied with the electron microscope in lymph nodes of adult chinchilla rabbits immunized with ferritin or apoferritin. The intracellular distribution of antiferritin antibodies was determined in the lymph node cells at 1 to 5 days after a booster injection, employing the labelling technique previously used by the authors (12) to demonstrate the localization of antibodies in mature plasma cells. Antibodies were first detected at 48 hours in blasts; i.e., cells which have a poorly developed endoplasmic reticulum and a cytoplasm filled with many ribosomes grouped in clusters. The label was subsequently found in forms intermediate between blasts and plasma cells (plasmoblasts, immature plasma cells), in which the endoplasmic reticulum appeared progressively more developed. Antiferritin antibodies were also found in cells in mitosis. In all the above cell types, antigen-antibody precipitates were consistently found in the perinuclear space and in the cisternae of the granular endoplasmic reticulum, from an early stage in the development of the latter. Evidence was also obtained for the presence of antibody in the Golgi area. The results are discussed in relation to the possible cellular sites of antibody synthesis.