Structural alterations in vascular endothelial tight junctions in the course of their gradual degradation in vitro.
Rabbit aorta explants in organ culture maintained their endothelium as a confluent cell layer for 1-6 days. Depending on culture time, interendothelial tight junctions underwent gradual morphological changes in their substructure, as seen in freeze-fracture replicas. The formation of a P-face associated groove and concurrent confluence of tight junction particles on E-faces after 24 hr in vitro was followed by a rarefaction of particles and shortening of tight junctional strands. By day 6 in vitro, almost all tight junctions have disappeared. We interpret these findings as signs of a degradation of tight junctions in vitro, involving three different substructural components: a component facing the protoplasm, tight junction particles and a component facing the extracellular space. The degradation was inhibited by culturing under increased ambient pressure (910 mmHg).
Mühleisen
H
H
Institute of Pathology, University of Tübingen, F.R.G.
Fingerle
J
J
Wolburg
H
H
Betz
E
E
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011817:Rabbits