SUBSTRUCTURE IN AN EPITHELIAL BASAL LAMINA (BASEMENT MEMBRANE)

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A well ordered grid structure is described in the basal lamina of the Aedes aegypti midgut epithelium. In sections parallel to the epithelial base, the grid structure is a series of dense lines intersecting at approximately right angles to one another. The intersecting lines enclose a roughly circular area about 150 A in diameter. Longitudinal sections of the epithelial basal lamina reveal stacks of beaded lamellae following a course roughly parallel to the epithelial base. Each lamella contains the grid structure seen in the sections parallel to the epithelial base. The grid structure appears in all low-power survey [electron]micrography. An analogy is drawn between the appearance of the basal lamina grid structure and Millipore ultrafilters. The chemical composition of basal laminae is discussed as well as the relation of the chemical constituents to the ultrastructural appearance. The basal lamina grid structure is a reflection of the association of carbohydrate to collagen in this location.