Intramitochondrial Filamentous Bodies in the Thick Limb of Henle of the Rat Kidney

Abstract

"Intramitochondrial filamentous bodies" (IMFB) were occasionally found within the matrix of some mitochondria of the thick limb of Hcnle of the rat kidney, but not clsewhere in thc tubular system. Three types wcre recognized: type I, an accumulation of filaments 55 A thick; type II, a bundle of parallel filaments having the same thickness as those of typc I and rcgular spacing, 87 A apart, from center to center; and type III, consisting of type II with regular light bands of 280 A periodicity and a helical border of prismatic tubular cristae. In addition to these, clectron-opaque masses showing variable and faint substructures wcre found in the matrix of mitochondria. It is suggested that all these IMFB may originate from mitochondrial cristae and that type II IMFB may be an intermediate developmental form between type I and type III. After uranyl acetate staining, IMFB and the membranes of prismatic tubular cristae showed highly increased electron opacity. The literature has been reviewed for reports of intramitochondrial filamentous inclusions in various types of cells. These inclusions have been classified according to their structural characteristics and the localization in the mitochondria and compared with IMFB reported herein.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase, Ald4p, is a major component of mitochondrial fluorescent inclusion bodies in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

“…In human liver cells (Wills, 1965), rat kidney cells (Suzuki and Mostofi, 1967), and rabbit thyroid gland (Nathaniel, 1980), fibrous inclusion bodies were localized to the matrix of mitochondria. Intramitochondrial fibrous inclusion bodies also occurred in pathological conditions.…”

Ultrastructure of the thick ascending limb of henle in the rat kidney

“…The thick ascending limb of Henle (TALI in the rat kidney has received limited attention from morphologists (Suzuki and Mostofi, 1967;Allen and Tisher, 1976;Kaissling et al, 1977;Tisher, 1981), despite the fact that physiologists have reported considerable heterogeneity of function in this region of the nephron (Jacobson, 1981;Burg, 1982). In a study of the rabbit kidney, Kaissling and Kriz (1979) described a gradual decrease in cell height as the TAL ascends through the outer medulla to the cortex.…”

Intramitochondrial Yolk-Crystals of Frog Oocytes

“…If the intracristal inclusions do indeed develop in mitochondria previously containing no inclusions, then structural intermediates between the progenitor and fully matured forms, analogous to FIGURE 13 Diagrammatic representation of the proposed sequence of organelle modifications and structural additions during the formation of a yolkcrystal inclusion within a standard mitochondrion (M. ence of several apparently unrelated forms of altered mitochondria and mitochondrial inclusions within a single cell type are certainly known to occur (e .g . 20,33) . That the altered mitochondria in bullfrog oocytes are related stages in a complex process of organelle development and specialization seems a more likely interpretation, owing to the fact that each of the individual elements characterizing the different modified mito-chondria is always observed not in isolation but in conjunction with some other elements including the yolk-crystals; e .g ., the matrical mass seen in modi-…”