Surface Features of Smooth Muscle Cells from the Mesenteric Artery and Vas Deferens

Abstract

Smooth muscle cells of small mesenteric arteries and vas deferens of guinea-pig were examined by freeze-etching. The most striking finding was that the surface vesicles lie in roughly longitudinal rows, with areas of membrane free of vesicles in between. The areas free of vesicles are believed to correspond to areas occupied by dense bodies in conventionally fixed and sectioned material. Other cell constituents which could be identified included sarcoplasmic reticulum and, probably, thick myofilaments.