Summary
Human renal biopsies were examined electron microscopically to investigate the intercellular relationships between endothelium and smooth muscle in renal arterioles. Three types of contacts were seen occurring through perforations in the basal lamina. These were classified by their origin either, from an endothelial cell, from a smooth muscle cell or from both. The cell processes involved were usually irregular but some were identified as club-shaped. The nature of the contacts was predominantly via simple appositions with an intercellular space of 6.9–13 nm. These myoendothelial contacts may play an important role as sensors of hypertensive load.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bayliss WM (1902) On the local reactions of the arterial wall to changes of internal pressure. J Physiol (Lond) 28:220–230
Berry CL (1978) Hypertension and arterial development - long term considerations. Brit Heart J 11:709–717
Berry CL, Greenwald SE, Menahem N (1981) Effect of Beta-aminopropionitrile on the elastic properties and blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Cardiovascular Res 15:373–381
Biava CG, West M (1966) Fine structure of normal human yuxtaglomerular cells. I. General structure and intercellular relationships. Am J Pathol 49:679–721
Bousquela E, Wiederhielm CA (1979) Microvascular myogenic reaction in the wing of the intact unanesthetized bat. Am J Physiol 237:H59-H65
Chamley-Champbell JH, Campbell GR (1981) What controls smooth muscle phenotype? Atherosclerosis 40:347–357
Dahl E (1973) The innervation of cerebral arteries. J Anat 115:53–63
Davies PF, Truskey GA, Warren HB, O'Connor SE, Eisenhaure BH (1985) Metabolic co-operation between vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in co-culture: changes in low density lipoprotein metabolism. J Cell Biol 101:871–879
Edwards RM (1983) Segmental effects of norepinephrine and angiotensin II on isolated renal microvessels. Am J Physiol 244:F526-F534
Furchgott RF, Zawadazki JV (1980) The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relation of arterial smooth muscle by acetyocholine. Nature 288:373–376
Gabella G (1981) Structure of smooth muscle. In: Bulbring E, Brading AF, Jones AW, Tomita T (eds). Smooth muscle, an assessment of current knowledge. Edward Arnold Ltd, London, pp 24–31
Geiger B, Schmid E, Franke WW (1983) Spatial distribution of proteins specific for desmosomes and adherens junctions in epithelial cells demonstrated by double immunofluorescence microscopy. Differentiation 223:189–205
Gilmore JP, Cornish KG, Rogers SD, Joyner WL (1980) Direct evidence for myogenic autoregulation of renal microcirculation in the hamster. Circ Res 47:226–230
Jacobsen NO, Jorgensen F, Thomsen AC (1966) An electron microscopyic study of small arteries and arterioles in the normal human kidney. Nephron 3:17–39
Johnson PC (1980) The myogenic response. In: Handbook of Physiology; Section II. The Cardiovascular System; Vol 2: Vascular Smooth Muscle. Am Physiol Soc, Bethesda, Maryland, pp 409–442
Rhodin JAG (1967) The ultrastructure of mammalian arterioles and pre-capillary sphincters. J Ultrastruct Res 18:181–223
Russell R (1986) The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis an update. N Engl J Med 314:488–500
Spagnoli LG, Villaschi S, Neri L, Palmieri G (1982) Gap junctions in myoendothelial bridges of rabbit carotid arteries. Experientia 38:124–125
Taugner R, Kirchheim H, Forssmann WG (1984) Myoendothelial contacts in glomerular arterioles and in renal interlobular arteries of rat, mouse and Tupaia belangeri. Cell Tissue Res 235:319–325
Van Buul-Wortelboer MF, Brinkman HJM, Dingemans KP, De Groot PG, Van Aken WG, Mourik JA (1986) Reconstitution of the vascular wall in-vitro. Exp Cell Res 162:151–158
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sosa-Melgarejo, J.A., Berry, C.L. & Dodd, S. Myoendothelial contacts in the small arterioles of human kidney. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 413, 183–187 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00718609
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00718609