title: Some functional aspects of the ultrastructure of rat pinealocytes.
abstract: An analysis of more than 75000 electron micrographs from 84 intact control and 167 experimental male rats divided into 11 groups subjected to various treatments, was performed in the present study, a special attention being paid to the relation of cytoplasmic organelles to the processes of synthesis and secretion of pinealocytes. From these observations the following conclusions have been drawn: 1. specific pineal cells - the pinealocytes - show several attributes of metabolically active endocrine cells; 2. at least two probably intimately related secretory processes are present in the rat pinealocytes; 3. several cytoplasmic structures may be involved in the secretory mechanism of the rat pinealocytes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000648:ultrastructure