Subunits in zonulae adhaerentes and striations in the associated circumferential microfilament bundles in chicken retinal pigment epithelial cells in situ.

This study shows that the zonula adhaerens in chicken retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in situ consists of independent subunits which are composed of extracellular intermembrane discs sandwiched between cytoplasmic plaques. These zonula adhaerens complexes (ZACs) are hexagonally arranged within the junction. Previous immunocytochemical studies suggest that the zonula adhaerens region, composed of ZACs, contains the actin associated proteins vinculin and alpha-actinin. The intermembrane discs of ZACs likely mediate cell-to-cell adhesion whereas the cytoplasmic plaques are probably involved in binding the microfilaments of the relatively large circumferential microfilament bundles (CMBs), associated with the zonula adhaerens, to the cell membrane. The CMBs of chicken RPE cells in situ show striations similar to those found in stress fibers of other cell types and in CMBs of cultured epithelial cells. The observation that in the striated regions of CMBs the adjacent junctional membranes tend to follow an undulating path suggests that the CMBs are attached intermittently to the cell membrane and are contractile. The structural similarities between CMBs and stress fibers and the fact that they share similar actin associated proteins support the view that CMBs and stress fibers are related structures.