Wade J B, Karnovsky M J
J Cell Biol. 1974 Aug;62(2):344-50. doi: 10.1083/jcb.62.2.344.
Exposing the mucosal epithelium of the toad urinary bladder to 240 mM urea in Ringer's solution is known to cause a dramatic increase in the permeability of the zonulae occludentes and the appearance of distended, bubble-like compartments within these junctions. Examination of such osmotically disrupted junctions with the freeze-fracture technique reveals that these bubbles result from a distention of the compartments existing within the meshwork of interconnecting fibrils characteristic of the zonulae occludentes in this epithelium. Frequent discontinuities in the meshwork of fibrils are also found after osmotic disruption of the junction. These observations indicate the essential role of these fibrils in maintaining the characteristic properties of the zonula occludens as a site of cell-to-cell attachment and as a permeability seal.
已知将蟾蜍膀胱的黏膜上皮暴露于林格氏液中的240 mM尿素会导致紧密连接的通透性急剧增加,并在这些连接处出现膨胀的、气泡样的间隔。用冷冻断裂技术检查这种因渗透而破坏的连接发现,这些气泡是由存在于该上皮紧密连接特征性的相互连接的纤维网络内的间隔膨胀所致。在连接因渗透而破坏后,还发现纤维网络中频繁出现间断。这些观察结果表明,这些纤维在维持紧密连接作为细胞间附着位点和通透性屏障的特性方面起着至关重要的作用。