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The fine structure of the newborn rat adrenal cortex

I. Zona glomerulosa and Zona fasciculata

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Summary

The structure of the zona glomerulosa and the zona fasciculata of the newborn rat adrenal cortex has been studied by the light and the electron microscope. The ultrastructural features of the cells of both zones are described. By morphometric methods the relative volumes occupied by mitochondria and by lipid droplets have been evaluated. The “membrane profile concentration” (i.e. the average number of microns of smooth reticulum profiles per square micron of cytoplasm) has been also measured.

The most significant ultrastructural differences between the cells of the two zones concern the mitochondria, the lipid droplets, and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The mitochondria show typical lamellar cristae in the elements of the zona glomerulosa, and vesicular cristae in the cells of the zona fasciculata. They occupy the same relative volume in both elements. The lipid droplets and the smooth reticulum show no qualitative differences in the two cell types, but they are found in a larger amount in the cells of the zona fasciculata.

These ultrastructural findings are discussed in relation to the numerous biochemical data, suggesting that the cells of the zona glomerulosa are resting elements at birth, while the cells of the zona fasciculata are active steroid-secreting elements already in late gestation.

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  1. Department of Anatomy, Padua University, Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Italia

    Gastone Giovanni Nussdorfer

  2. Istituto di Anatomia Umana normale, Università di Padova, Via A. Gabelli, 37, 35100, Padova, Italia

    Gastone Giovanni Nussdorfer

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The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Dr. A. Gambino and to Mr. G. Gottardo for excellent technical assistance.

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Nussdorfer, G.G. The fine structure of the newborn rat adrenal cortex. Z. Zellforsch. 103, 382–397 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335281

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