Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Perrelet.
Freeze-fracture of islets of Langerhans treated in vitro with diabetogenic agents alloxan and streptozotocin shows a decrease in the number of intramembranous particles of islet cell plasma membranes. This decrease is restricted to the membrane's A-fracture face and it can be prevented by experimental conditions which are known to counteract the toxic effect of both alloxan and streptozotocin.
A quantitative study of the adipocyte plasma membrane under the influence of lipipolytic or lipogenic hormones has been carried out by freeze-fracture. The number of plasma membrane invaginations (so-called pinocytosis) and of intramembranous particles was evaluated. Under the influence of either insulin, glucogon, or epinephrine, the membrane invaginations were significantly increased with respect to control adipocytes. Insulin was shown to increase the number of intramembranous particles of the plasma membrane whereas glucagon or epinephrine had an opposite effect. These data point to a hormonal modulation of the fine-structural organization of the adipocyte plasma membrane.
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Examination of glutaraldehyde-fixed, freeze-fractured livers from 14-15-day rat fetuses provided the basis for the following observations. Membrane particles align in otherwise poorly particulated areas of the presumptive pericanalicular plasma membrane (A face), frequently forming a discontinuous "honey-comb" network joining small particle islands. Even at this early stage, contiguous B-fracture faces contain furrows, rather than rows of pits, distinguishing the linear particle aggregates on the A face as developing tight junctions rather than gap junctions. Short segments of these linear arrays merge with smooth ridges clearly identifiable as segments of discontinuous tight junctions. With the continuing confluence of particulate and smooth ridge segments, mature tight junctions become fully appreciable. We conclude that tight junctions form de novo by the alignment and fusion of separate particles into beaded ridges which, in turn, become confluent and are transformed into continuous smooth ones. At 21 days of fetal life, most of the images of assembly have disappeared, and the liver reveals well-formed bile canaliculi sealed by mature tight junctions.
By degranulating beta-cells in the islets of Langerhans of the rat with sulfonylurea, it has been possible to distinguish unambiguously alpha-cells from beta-cells in freeze-fracture replicas. In such preparations, we found morphologically typical tight and gap junctions occurring between alpha- and beta-cells. The presence of gap junctions offers indirect evidence that these cells are coupled with one another; coupling may influence the secretory behavior of alpha- and beta-cells maintaining glucose homeostasis within tightly constricted limits.
The freeze-fracturing technique was applied to fresh human islets of Langerhans. With this technique, the inside of cellular membranes was revealed, and specific membrane differentiations, hitherto unknown, were observed in the plasma membrane of the endocrine cells. The specific membrane differentiations represent two types of intercellular junctions, namely the tight junction, which determines a closure of the extracellular space and the gap junction which allows molecules and ions to diffuse from one cell to another (sharing the gap junction) without leaking in the extracellular space (intercellular coupling). The presence of such junctions may be important for the secretory behavior of the cells within the islet.
The glomeruli of rats rendered nephrotic by administration of aminonucleoside of puromycin were studied with the freeze-fracture technique. The alterations of the podocytes consisted of a progressive blunting of the foot processes and of the disappearance of the extracellular space normally present between the foot processes at the level of the slit pore. In parallel with the closure of the extracellular space, fracture faces of the plasma membrane of the latered podocytes revealed the presence of peculiar membrane differentiations represented mainly by irregular chains of membrane-associated particles in the fracture face A and by variegated grooves in the fracture face B. The presence of grooves in fracture face B indicates that the chains of particles in fracture face A are likely to be tight junctions rather than linear gap junctions. However, since the presence of continuous ridges is exceptional, it is suggested that the tight junctions are the "leaky" -type and that the podocytes many have only limited capacities for assembling junctions of the "tight" -type.
Freeze-fracture of Henle's thin loop of the rat shows that the plasma membrane of epithelial cells in the descending branch has far more particles (approximately 4000 per sq. mum.) than the plasma membrane in the ascending branch (approximately 1000 per sq. mum). On the contrary, the tight junctions between epithelial cells in the two branches are equally developed. The large number of particles in the descending branch may be an important factor in the water permeability of this tubular segment.
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Freeze-etching of Torpedo marmorata electroplax reveals an unusual substructure in one of the fracture faces of the postsynaptic membrane. This substructure consists of a lattice of closely spaced particles that are smaller than the usual 80- to 90-A particles present in other membrane types. The lattice occurs exclusively on the B-face of the postsynaptic membrane.
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An increased number of membrane-associated particles has been demonstrated by freeze-etching in areas of pinocytosis in the intestinal smooth muscle cell. A peculiar distribution of the particles is described, which might be closely related to the formation of pinocytotic vesicles (caveolae).
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