Atypical cristae (paracrystalline inclusions) in mitochondria of epithelial cells of the rat ureter. I. Ultrastructural features.
The cells of the basal layer of the ureter epithelium of senile rat have been studied by means of thin section electron microscopy. One of the main features of these cells was the presence of paracrystalline structures within unusually long mitochondria (megamitochondria). The detailed study of these structures showed that they were produced by the mitochondrion itself through alterations of one or two longitudinally oriented cristae. The megamitochondria were completely surrounded by membranes of rough endoplasmic reticulum, frequently showed lipid lamellae at one end, and were always situated in the vicinity of the nucleus. The possible morphogenetic mechanisms of the paracrystalline structures are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D014513:Ureter / Q000648:ultrastructure*