Skip to main content
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1975 Sep 1;66(3):657–663. doi: 10.1083/jcb.66.3.657

Changes in tight junctions of thyroid epithelium with changes in thyroid activity

PMCID: PMC2109449  PMID: 1158975

Abstract

The morphology of the tight junction of rat thyroid epithelium was examined in freeze-fractured material fixed in glutaraldehyde and briefly glycerinated. In normal thyroids the overall appearance of this junctional specialization resembled that of other cell types in many respects. Short-term changes in thyroid activity and hypophysectomy for 3 wk did not obviously affect the appearance of tight junctions. Feeding of the goitrogen, thiouracil, which stimulates secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone, resulted in the appearance of some very narrow and some very wide, tight junctions or sometimes junctions with both wide and narrow regions within the same cell.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (2.1 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bulger R. E., Lorentz W. B., Jr, Colindres R. E., Gottschalk C. W. Morphologic changes in rat renal proximal tubules and their tight junctions with increased intraluminal pressure. Lab Invest. 1974 Feb;30(2):136–144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chalcroft J. P., Bullivant S. An interpretation of liver cell membrane and junction structure based on observation of freeze-fracture replicas of both sides of the fracture. J Cell Biol. 1970 Oct;47(1):49–60. doi: 10.1083/jcb.47.1.49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Daniel P. M., Pratt O. E., Roitt I. M., Torrigiani G. Thyroglobulin in the lymph draining from the thyroid gland and in the peripheral blood of rats. Q J Exp Physiol Cogn Med Sci. 1967 Apr;52(2):184–199. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.1967.sp001901. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. FARQUHAR M. G., PALADE G. E. Junctional complexes in various epithelia. J Cell Biol. 1963 May;17:375–412. doi: 10.1083/jcb.17.2.375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Friend D. S., Gilula N. B. Variations in tight and gap junctions in mammalian tissues. J Cell Biol. 1972 Jun;53(3):758–776. doi: 10.1083/jcb.53.3.758. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Goodenough D. A., Revel J. P. A fine structural analysis of intercellular junctions in the mouse liver. J Cell Biol. 1970 May;45(2):272–290. doi: 10.1083/jcb.45.2.272. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. McNutt N. S., Weinstein R. S. Membrane ultrastructure at mammalian intercellular junctions. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 1973;26:45–101. doi: 10.1016/0079-6107(73)90017-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Orci L., Amherdt M., Henquin J. C., Lambert A. E., Unger R. H., Renold A. E. Pronase effect on pancreatic beta cell secretion and morphology. Science. 1973 May 11;180(4086):647–649. doi: 10.1126/science.180.4086.647. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pitelka D. R., Hamamoto S. T., Duafala J. G., Nemanic M. K. Cell contacts in the mouse mammary gland. I. Normal gland in postnatal development and the secretory cycle. J Cell Biol. 1973 Mar;56(3):797–818. doi: 10.1083/jcb.56.3.797. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Staehelin L. A. Further observations on the fine structure of freeze-cleaved tight junctions. J Cell Sci. 1973 Nov;13(3):763–786. doi: 10.1242/jcs.13.3.763. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wollman S. H., Breitman T. R. Changes in DNA and weight of thyroid glands during hyperplasia and involution. Endocrinology. 1970 Feb;86(2):322–327. doi: 10.1210/endo-86-2-322. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Yamamoto K., DeGroot L. J. Peroxidase and NADPH-cytochrome C reductase activity during thyroid hyperplasia and involution. Endocrinology. 1974 Aug;95(2):606–612. doi: 10.1210/endo-95-2-606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES