The nuclear fibrous lamina in human cells: studies on its appearance and distribution.

The nuclear fibrous lamina, a structure of unknown function, is situated at the nuclear periphery directly apposed to the inner nuclear membrane. Although it has been well described in invertebrate and many non-human vertebrate cells, its occurrence in human tissue has not been emphasized. This survey of a large variety of human cells has documented the lamina to be present, although of varying thickness, in a large number of cell types. It is consistently thickest in mesenchymal or mesenchymally derived cells and its appearance and thickness is not correlated with pathologic alterations.