文章基本信息

标题：Gap Junctions between Electrotonically Coupled Cells in Tissue Culture and in Brown Fat
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作者：J. P. Revel ; A. G. Yee ; A. J. Hudspeth 等
期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1971
卷号：68
期号：12
页码：2924-2927
DOI：10.1073/pnas.68.12.2924
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Although circumstantial evidence has suggested that gap junctions mediate intercellular electrotonic coupling, it has not been possible in most tissues to exclude the involvement of other, coexisting cell junctions. We have made an electron microscopic study of replicas of frozen-fractured BHK21 cells (from tissue culture) and of brown fat cells of newborn mice. Both of these cell types are known to exhibit intercellular electrical coupling. In each case, the only junctions found between the cells are small macular gap junctions (less than 1 {micro}m in diameter) characterized by clusters of 6-nm (60 A) particles or depressions on membrane cleavage faces. Several replicas confirm the association of these particles and depressions with regions of narrowing of the intercellular space, i.e., with the sites of cell junctions. We have also determined the frequency of occurrence of gap junctions on the membrane cleavage faces of both cell types. Gap junctions occupy about 1-2% of the surface area of brown fat cells, but only 0.05% of the surface area of BHK21 cells. These observations indicate that gap junctions, when they are the only intercellular junctions present, are sufficient to account for electronic coupling between cells.
关键词：BHK cells ; electron microscopy ; freeze replicas ; mouse ; morphology