Ultrastructuctural Characterization of the Extramammary Paget Cell Plasma Membrane: A Freeze – Fracture Study

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Abstract
The plasma membrane ultrastructure of the extramammary [human] Paget cells was characterized by freeze-fracture EM which was 1st employed for Paget cell study. The Paget cell plasma membrane revealed a flat fractured plane with much fewer and smaller desmosome-particle aggregations than those of the keratinocyte. No gap junctions were detected. Many intramembranous particle-free vesicles were seen in the intercellular spaces. Particle-free blebs projecting from the plasma membranes were seen on some cell surfaces. These features greatly differed from those of keratinocytes. An increase of gap junctions was noticed on the keratinocytes around or in the Paget''s disease lesions.