Abstract
The fine structure of cultured human orbital fibroblasts was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. One culture was derived from a patient with severe Graves' ophthalmopathy, the other from a donor without inflammatory orbital disease. Despite their known differences in metabolism, orbital fibroblasts from either source revealed no ultrastructural differences. The cells had extensive thin cytoplasmic processes. The perinuclear areas contained multiple assemblies of Golgi membranes, modest amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum, intermediate filaments, and lysosome-like structures. Glycogen deposits were noted both in the perinuclear cytoplasm and in the thin processes. These ultrastructural features of orbital fibroblasts are the same as those of fibroblasts from other anatomic regions.
References
Higgins PJ, Smith TJ (1993) Pleotrophic action of interferon gamma in human orbital fibroblasts. Biochim Biophys Acta 1181: 23–30
Hufnagel TJ, Hickey WF, Cobbs WH, Jakobiec FA, Iwamoto T, Eagle RC (1984) Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies on the exenterated orbital tissues of a patient with Graves' disease. Ophthalmology 91: 1411
Naffziger HC (1933) Pathologic changes in the orbit in progressive exophthalmos: with special reference to alterations in the extraocular muscles and optic disks. Arch Ophthalmol 9: 1
Schor SL, Schor AM (1987) Clonal heterogeneity in fibroblast phenotype: implications for the control of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. BioEssays 7: 200–204
Smith TJ (1984) Dexamethasone regulation of glycosaminoglycan synthesis in cultured human skin fibroblasts: similar effects of glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones. J Clin Invest 74: 2157–2163
Smith TJ (1987) n-Butyrate inhibition of hyaluronate synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts. J Clin Invest 79: 1493–1497
Smith TJ, Murata Y, Horwitz AL, Philipson L, Refetoff S (1982) Regulation of glycosaminoglycan synthesis by thyroid hormone in vitro. J Clin Invest 70: 1066–1073
Smith TJ, Bahn RS, Gorman CA (1989a) Hormonal regulation of hyaluronate synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts: evidence for differences between retroocular and dermal fibroblasts. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 69: 1019–1023
Smith TJ, Bahn RS, Gorman CA (1989b) Connective tissue, glycosaminoglycans and diseases of the thyroid. Endocr Rev 10: 366–391
Smith TJ, Bahn RS, Gorman CA, Cheavens M (1991) Stimulation of glycosaminoglycan accumulation by interferon gamma in cultured human retroocular fibroblasts. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 72: 1169–1171
Smith TJ, Ahmed A, Hogg MG, Higgins PJ (1992) Interferon gamma is an inducer of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 in human orbital fibroblasts. Am J Physiol 263: C24-C29
Smith TJ, Higgins PJ (1993a) Interferon gamma regulation of de novo protein synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts in culture is anatomic site dependent. J Invest Dermatol 100: 288–292
Smith TJ, Higgins PJ (1993b) Bidimensional gel electrophoretic analysis of protein synthesis and response to interferon-γ in cultured human dermal fibroblasts. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1181: 300–306
Smith TJ, Kottke RJ, Lum H, Andersen TT (1993) Human orbital fibroblasts in culture bind and respond to endothelin. Am J Physiol 265: C138-C142
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Henrikson, R.C., Smith, T.J. Ultrastructure of cultured human orbital fibroblasts. Cell Tissue Res 278, 629–631 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331384
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331384