The Histogenesis of Basement Membranes

Abstract

A parietal yolk sac carcinoma of the mouse that secretes large quantities of basement membrane-like material has been used to study the formation of basement membranes. Suitably characterized fluorescein-labeled antibodies against this material stained basement membranes of epithelial structures and vessels, as well as reticulin. When absorbed with reticulin and vascular basement membranes of the spleen until these structures no longer fluoresced, the antibody still stained the basement membrane-like material of the tumor, its normal embryonic counterpart (Reichert's membrane), and the basement membranes at the bases of epithelial cells. The observation made previously that parietal yolk sac cells secreted, in the absence of connective tissue and reticulin, the basement membrane (Reichert's membrane) upon which they rested has been confirmed through the localization of ferritin-labeled antibody to the endoplasmic reticulin of the secreting cells. Since a basement membrane proven to be an epithelial secretion is antigenically similar to basement membranes at the bases of all epithelial cells studied but antigenically different from connective tissue elements, it is postulated that the basement membranes at the bases of epithelial cells in general are an epithelial secretion, and are not a condensation of ground substance as is commonly believed.

A Comparative Study of Nephrotoxic Serum Antigens of Diverse Rat Organs

“…Our in vivo findings appear to parallel with recent in vitro observations on the antigenicity of the epithelial basement membranes. Apart from common antigens, epithelial basement membranes harbor antigens not present in mesenchymal basement membranes and reticulin fibers (30). The organs studied herein arc not deficient in membrane antigens (7,13) as is evident from the fluorescence pattern of these tissues (Fig.…”

The Fine Structure of the Normal Human Alveolocapillary Membrane

“…These membranes consisted of two parts, a lamina densa and a thin electron translucent lamina lucida which separate the lamina densa from the plasma membranes of the corresponding endothelial and epithelial cells. The mean thickness of the lamina densa of the alveolar epithelial cells was 77 m/¿ (SD, 12 ni|U.) and of the capillary, 79 m/j, (SD, 13 mrf.…”

Gross and cellular analysis of 6‐mercaptopurine‐induced cleft palate in hamster

“…It is highly unlikely that enzymes would persist extracellularly over such a long duration. On the other hand, it is generally agreed that the basal lamina is an epithelial product (Kurtz and Feldman, 1962;Pearce et al, 1963;Stanley et al, 1982). Altered differentiation of the epithelial cells due to sublethal injury, as implicated in the earlier paragraphs, could affect the synthesis of molecules required for basal lamina formation and maintenance, thus causing the defect.…”