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The ultimobranchial body in Rana pipiens

I. The fine structure

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Summary

  1. 1.

    Electron micrographs of the ultimobranchial body in sexually mature Rana pipiens were prepared to describe the cytology of the parenchymal cells.

  2. 2.

    Cytoplasmic granules, enclosed within a limiting membrane, are approximately 1000 Å in diameter and are found at the apical and basal poles of the nucleus as aggregations and also in the basal cytoplasm in contact with the basal plasma membrane.

  3. 3.

    Lamellar bodies (myelin figures) of various complexities are found in all cells but are more prevalent in degenerating cells. Those structures found in the central lumen are a part of the cellular debris.

  4. 4.

    Lysosomes with densities similar to those of cytoplasmic granules suggest that some granules are not utilized.

  5. 5.

    Ergastoplasm within the parenchyma is scarce. The cytoplasm contains smooth membrane vesicles and free ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles.

  6. 6.

    The ultimobranchial body is considered to have a low rate of protein synthesis. The degree of endocrine activity, if any, could not be determined at this time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Upstate Medical Center Syracuse, New York, USA

    Douglas R. Robertson & Allen L. Bell

  2. Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA

    Douglas R. Robertson & Allen L. Bell

Authors
  1. Douglas R. Robertson
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  2. Allen L. Bell
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Additional information

This project was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, Grant No. 3 TI GM 326-05.

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Robertson, D.R., Bell, A.L. The ultimobranchial body in Rana pipiens. Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 66, 118–129 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339321

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339321

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