scholarly journals ULTRASTRUCTURAL INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF NERVE PROCESSES AND SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS IN THREE DIMENSIONS

1966 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Thaemert

The muscularis externa of the intestinal wall of frogs was fixed in osmium tetroxide, embedded in Vestopal-W, serially sectioned for electron microscopy, and stained with uranyl acetate. A method to obtain individually mounted and properly positioned serial sections is described. The three-dimensional techniques used during the course of this investigation demonstrate that it is possible to examine carefully relatively large areas of tissue on individual serial sections with the electron microscope and subsequently to construct montages of electron micrographs of pertinent areas from each section. Several carefully rendered interrelationships of nerve processes and smooth muscle cells in three dimensions are exhibited and described. Recent studies of other neuro-effector relationships are discussed in relation to the present status of the nature and organization of the autonomic nervous system in visceral organs.

Author(s):  
J.M. Minda ◽  
E. Dessy ◽  
G. G. Pietra

Pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis (PLAM) is a rare disease occurring exclusively in women of reproductive age. It involves the lungs, lymph nodes and lymphatic ducts. In the lungs, it is characterized by the proliferation of smooth muscle cells around lymphatics in the bronchovascular bundles, lobular septa and pleura The nature of smooth muscle proliferation in PLAM is still unclear. Recently, reactivity of the smooth muscle cells for HMB-45, a melanoma-related antigen has been reported by immunohistochemistry. The purpose of this study was the ultrastructural localization of HMB-45 immunoreactivity in these cells using gold-labeled antibodies.Lung tissue from three cases of PLAM, referred to our Institution for lung transplantation, was embedded in either Poly/Bed 812 post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide, or in LR White, without osmication. For the immunogold technique, thin sections were placed on Nickel grids and incubated with affinity purified, monoclonal anti-melanoma antibody HMB-45 (1:1) (Enzo Diag. Co) overnight at 4°C. After extensive washing with PBS, grids were treated with Goat-anti-mouse-IgG-Gold (5nm) (1:10) (Amersham Life Sci) for 1 hour, at room temperature.


1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiichi Kanda ◽  
Takehisa Matsuda

The effect of tensile stress on the orientation and phenotype of arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) cultured in three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen gels was morphologically investigated. Ring-shaped hybrid tissues were prepared by thermal gelation of a cold mixed solution of type I collagen and SMCs derived from bovine aorta. The tissues were subjected to three different modes of tensile stress. They were floated (isotonic control), stretched isometrically (static stress) and periodically stretched and recoiled by 5% above and below the resting tissue length at 60 RPM frequency (dynamic stress). After incubation for up to four wk, the tissues were investigated under a light microscope (LM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Hematoxylin and eosinstained LM samples revealed that, irrespective of static or dynamic stress loading, SMCs in stress-loaded tissues exhibited elongated bipolar spindle shape and were regularly oriented parallel to the direction of the strain, whereas those in isotonic control tissues were polygonal or spherical and had no preferential orientation. In Azan-stained samples, collagen fiber bundles in isotonic control tissues were somewhat retracted around the polygonal SMCs to form a random network. On the other hand, those in statically and dynamically stressed tissues were accumulated and prominently oriented parallel to the stretch direction. Ultrastructural investigation using a TEM showed that SMCs in control and statically stressed tissues were almost totally filled with synthetic organelles such as rough endoplasmic reticulums, free ribosomes, Golgi complexes and mitochondria, indicating that the cells remained in the synthetic phenotype. On the other hand, SMCs in dynamically stressed tissues had increased fractions of contractile apparatus, such as myofilaments, dense bodies and extracellular filamentous materials equivalent to basement membranes, that progressed with incubation time. These results indicate that periodic stretch, in concert with 3-D extracellular collagen matrices, play a significant role in the phenotypic modulation of SMCs from the synthetic to the contractile state, as well as cellular and biomolecular orientation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haishuang Lin ◽  
Qian Du ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Ou Wang ◽  
Zhanqi Wang ◽  
...  

3D thermoreversible PNIPAAm-PEG hydrogels are used for scalable production of human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular smooth muscle cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (2) ◽  
pp. G226-G232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotada Akiho ◽  
Patricia Blennerhassett ◽  
Yikang Deng ◽  
Stephen M. Collins

T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, which activate signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) are expressed in the muscularis externa during nematode infection and are candidate mediators of the associated hypercontractility. To determine the locus of action of these cytokines, we examined the IL-4- and IL-13-induced hypercontractility of the isolated muscle cells from STAT6 +/+ and STAT6 −/− mice. We compared the results with cells isolated from Trichinella spiralis-infected STAT6 +/+ and STAT6 −/− mice. Carbamylcholine chloride (Carbachol) induced the contraction of jejunal muscle cells in a concentration-dependent manner maximal contraction (Rmax26.7 ± 1.9%). Cells from T. spiralis-infected STAT6 −/− mice showed the hypertrophy (cell lengths 41.4 ± 0.8 to 89.0 ± 8.7 μm) and hypercontractility (Rmax37.5 ± 1.3%) induced by infection. IL-4Rα mRNA was detected in dispersed smooth muscle cells. Incubation of longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus (LMMP) with IL-4 and IL-13 enhanced Carbachol-induced muscle contraction (Rmax35.5 ± 1.9 and 32.4 ± 2.9%, respectively). Incubation of LMMP from STAT6 −/− mice with IL-4 did not enhance the contraction. The hypercontractility in T. spiralis-infected mice was attenuated in STAT6 −/− mice ( P < 0.02). These results indicate both IL-4 and IL-13 induce hypercontractility of muscle cells via the STAT6 pathway, and this is the basis for hypercontractility observed in T. spiralis-infected mice.


2013 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sho Shinohara ◽  
Takanori Kihara ◽  
Shinji Sakai ◽  
Michiya Matsusaki ◽  
Mitsuru Akashi ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsutomu Katsuyama ◽  
Kenichi Arai ◽  
Hiroyoshi Ota ◽  
Eiko Hidaka ◽  
Masayoshi Hayama ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 060913044658036
Author(s):  
Jin Ye Shen ◽  
Mary B. Chan-Park ◽  
B. He ◽  
Ai Ping Zhu ◽  
Xiao Zhu ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Y. Uehara ◽  
T. Komuro ◽  
J. Desaki

Although subcellular organization of vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes have been described by a number of authors, the precise overall structure of these cells has not been revealed at the fine structural level.In order to extend our knowledge in understanding of vascular function, the present paper deals the three dimensional organization of these cells as studied with a transmission EM using serial sections and with a scanning EM using materials from which connective tissue elements are removed.For the reconstruction study, arterioles ranging in diameter from l0um to 25um are selected from the hamster skeletal muscle and the rat pancreas.Fig. 1. demonstrates an example of the reconstructed model of the arteriole smooth muscle cell. Here the muscle cell takes a spiral form which coils nearly twice around the endothelial column. The shape and disposition of the muscle cells gradually become to be irregular towards the capillary bed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document