Human salivary gland parenchymal cells seen by SEM from the cytoplasmic side using a new osmium maceration method.

By removing all or most organelles, we have exposed the cytoplasmic side of the plasmalemma and its specializations in serous cells and in cells of striated and excretory ducts of human major salivary glands. The areas of plasmalemma located beneath the lumen and those bordering the intercellular canaliculi are covered by evenly distributed particles arranged in a continuous band and, below it, in regularly spaced clusters. A similar pattern of particles is seen on the internal aspects of the juxtaluminal plasmalemma of cells of both striated and excretory ducts. Small isolated clusters of particles are seen in other regions of serous and ductal cells as well, being particularly numerous along the basal processes of cells of striated ducts. A distribution of particles resembling that present along intercellular canaliculi of serous cells also is seen on the plasmalemma bordering the biliary canaliculi where, however, the clusters look smaller and farther apart. Large clusters of particles, matching those seen on salivary glands and on liver, are present at the base of the short processes of cells of the stratum spinosum of squamous stratified epithelia. Since the sites of location of the clusters closely correspond to the areas where transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the presence of desmosomes, we believe that the clusters may be related to these cellular junctions. Of more difficult interpretation are the particles present on the juxtaluminal band corresponding both to the zonula occludens and to the zonula adhaerens.