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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2006 Oct 16.
Published in final edited form as: J Membr Biol. 2006 May 17;209(2-3):177–186. doi: 10.1007/s00232-005-0832-x

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

(a) A paraffin section of the guinea pig cochlea stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The perilymphatic space is composed of the scala vestibuli (SV) and scala tympani (ST), and contains high levels of sodium and low levels of potassium ions. Endolymph is present in the scala media (SM), and contains high levels of K+ and low levels of Na+. I, type I fibrocytes of the spiral ligament; II, type II fibrocytes of the spiral ligament; IHC, inner hair cells; L, spiral limbus; OHC, outer hair cells; RM, Reissner’s membrane; SSZ, suprastrial zone; StV, stria vascularis. Bar = 100 lm. (b) Thin section electron micrograph of a typical gap junction (arrowheads) between supporting cells in the guinea pig organ of Corti. Bar = 100 nm. (c) Freeze-fracture electron micrograph of a typical gap junction (arrow) between supporting cells of the guinea pig organ of Corti. Gap junctions are clusters of homogeneous intramembranous particles, connexons, in the protoplasmic fracture face of the plasma membrane. Bar = 100 nm.