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. 1960 Dec 1;8(3):793–811. doi: 10.1083/jcb.8.3.793

STUDIES ON THE FINE STRUCTURE OF ULTRACENTRIFUGED SPINAL GANGLION CELLS

H W Beams 1, T N Tahmisian 1, Everett Anderson 1, Rosemarie Devine 1
PMCID: PMC2224958  PMID: 14448526

Abstract

The following structures were observed in electron micrographs of the mouse spinal ganglion cells: Nissl bodies composed of both aggregated rough-type, largely oriented, membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and discrete particles; short rodlike mitochondria with well-developed transverse, obliquely or longitudinally arranged cristae, and a relatively typical Golgi complex. The components of ultracentrifuged ganglion cells (400,000 times gravity for 20 minutes) are stratified, the layers appearing in the order of their decreasing density as follows: (1) A microsomal or ergastoplasmic layer which may be further divided into three sublayers without sharp boundaries, namely, a discrete particle layer, a layer of discrete particles and highly distorted membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, and a layer composed of relatively intact, but stretched membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and discrete particles. (2) Mitochondria constitute a relatively broad layer. They are sometimes stretched; however, they retain most of their fine structure. The stratified nucleus is found within the mitochondrial layer. (3) A relatively wide layer of tightly packed vesicles. (4) At the centripetal end, resting against the cell membrane, are a few lipid vacuoles. A comparison is made between the ultrastructure of the stratified layers in situ and those described by others in differentially ultracentrifuged homogenates.

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Selected References

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