3
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Intercellular Attachment in the Epithelium of Hydra As Revealed by Electron Microscopy

      research-article
      The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology
      The Rockefeller University Press

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPMC
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          In Hydra adjacent epithelial cells are bound firmly to each other by desmosomes of a type not described in detail hitherto. The most prominent feature of these desmosomes is the presence of a series of parallel lamellae which bridge the intercellular space and connect the two apposed cell surfaces directly. These structures, here termed intercellular attachment lamellae, display two peaks of density about 50 A apart. These dense lines appear in some instances to be continuous with the outer dense components of the plasma unit membranes of the attached cells. The presence of prominent lamellae in intercellular attachments is sufficiently distinctive to deserve special terminology; accordingly, the term septate desmosome is proposed. It is noted that septate desmosomes may have been seen in other animals in instances where published electron micrographs show cross-striations or prominent connections in regions of intercellular attachment. It is suggested that septate desmosomes in Hydra, in addition to binding cells firmly to each other, form barriers to the movement of water into intercellular spaces and thus help to protect the organism's internal environment. Observations on the use of phosphotungstic acid for improving contrast in materials embedded in epoxy resins are also recorded.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Journal
          J Biophys Biochem Cytol
          The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology
          The Rockefeller University Press
          0095-9901
          1 December 1959
          : 6
          : 3
          : 343-352
          Affiliations
          From the Department of Anatomy, University of Washington, Seattle
          Article
          10.1083/jcb.6.3.343
          2224706
          13845833
          cbcd5f3c-3807-4232-bdc0-dcf40e2d1424
          Copyright © Copyright, 1959, by The Rockefeller Institute
          History
          : 25 May 1959
          Categories
          Article

          Biochemistry
          Biochemistry

          Comments

          Comment on this article