CYTOPLASMIC BODIES IN LYMPHATIC ENDOTHELIAL CELL

P Poggi, C Marchetti, A Calligaro, A Casasco

Abstract


Although micropinocytotic vesicles and other
large vesicular structures have been observed in
lymphatic endothelial cells on electron
microscopy , in this study ultrastructure attention
was focused on a variety of other membrane bounded
structures in the cytoplasm of these cells
in the rabbit heart. The first type was oval or
round in transverse section and elongated in
longitudinal section, was 100-200 nm in
diameter and contained regularly spaced tubules.
These features resembled rod-shaped bodies
detected thus far only in blood vascular endothelial
cells. A second type of cytoplasmic body
was also frequently seen in lymphatic endothelium.
It contained irregularly spaced small
vesicles, 5-7 in number and 45 nm in diameter.
A third type of vesiculated body was only occasionally
found. This latter structure was greater
than the previously described bodies and ranged
from 3-5 μm in diameter, and filled with
granular, inhomogeneous material and filamentous-
like components. The functional
significance of these intraendothelial bodies is as
yet unexplained.


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