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Direct visualization of epithelial morphology in the living amphibian urinary bladder

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Summary

Differential interference-contrast microscopy has been applied to the study of amphibian urinary bladders,in vitro. It is demonstrated that well-resolved images can be obtained with little loss of tissue viability. Direct observations have been made on the structure of microvilli, the distribution of mitochondria in the mitochondria-rich cells, and the patency of lateral intercellular spaces. It is noted that the effective viscosity of cytoplasm is very high-that it is apparently a gel in which there is no Brownian movement of organelles. The frequency, shape, and pattern of distribution of granular and mitochondria-rich cells is determined for the commonly studied varieties ofBufo marinus. Bladders from Colombian toads contain more and larger mitochondria-rich cells than do those of the Dominican variety. There is no specific arrangement of cell-cell contacts to suggest a structural basis for cooperativeness of action. Finally, a longitudinal study of osmotically-induced changes in the structure of the “tight” or “limiting” junctions establishes the validity of previous findings by electron microscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Renal Biophysics, Massachusetts General Hospital, 02114, Boston, Massachusetts

    Donald R. DiBona

  2. Department of Physiology, Harvard Medical School, 02114, Boston, Massachusetts

    Donald R. DiBona

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  1. Donald R. DiBona
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DiBona, D.R. Direct visualization of epithelial morphology in the living amphibian urinary bladder. J. Membrain Biol. 40 (Suppl 1), 45–70 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02025998

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