Summary
Unusual electron-dense paracrystalline inclusions were found in metaplastic ciliated cells in the stomachs of three Japanese male patients with gastric carcinoma. These patients had not been given antitumour drugs before surgery and ethrane (enflurane) was used as the anaesthetic. Ciliated cells in the gastric mucosa are found not infrequently in the pyloric glands in association with intestinal metaplasia in elderly Japanese patients. Paracrystalline inclusions were found only in the ciliated cells and never in any other types of gastric mucosal cell. These inclusions were located in the apical portion of the ciliated cells in intimate association with the basal bodies. They consisted of twisted strings about 27 nm wide with a regularly repeated spacing of about 30 nm. On highly magnified electron micrographs, granules about 4 nm in diameter were detected. These paracrystalline inclusions have never been reported previously, although their location in ciliated cells and their morphological characteristics suggest an intimate relationship with the ciliogenesis of metaplastic ciliated cells in the human stomach.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afzelias BA (1988) Microtubules in the spermatids of stick insects. J Ultrast Mol Struct Res 98:94–102
Bennett MD, Smith JB (1979) Colchicine-induced paracrystals in the tapetum of wheat anthers. J Cell Sci 38:23–32
Bensch KG, Malawista SE (1969) Microtubular crystals in mammalian cells. J Cell Biol 40:95–106
Biava CG, West M (1966) Fine structure of normal human juxtaglomerular cells. II. Specific and nonspecific cytoplasmic granules. Am J Pathol 49:955–979
Burton PR (1981) Polymorphic assemblies of tubulin. In: Cell and Muscle Motility. Dowben RM and Shay JW (eds) Plenum Vol 1 289–333
Dustin P, Flament-Durand J, Couck AM, Depierreux M (1980) Vincristine-induced tubulin paracrystals in the nuclei of mammalian neurons. J Submicrosc Cytol 12:611–616
Dustin P (1984) Microtubules. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo
Fawcett DW, Burgos MH (1960) Studies of the fine structure of the mammalian testis. II. The human interstitial tissue. Am J Anat 107:245–270
Ghadially FN (1988) Crystalline inclusions in cytoplasmic matrix. In: Ultrastructural Pathology of the Cell and Matrix. Third ed. Butterworths London, Boston, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Wellington pp 978–985
Hinkley RE, Samson FE (1972) Anesthetic-induced transformation of axonal microtubules. J Cell Biol 53:258–263
Hinkley RE (1976) Microtubule-macrotubule transformations induced by volatile anesthetics. J Ultrast Res 57:237–250
Kawakita H (1987) Ciliated cells in human stomach. Studies on resected cases. Keio Igaku 54:87–102
Larsson H, Wallin M, Edstrom A (1976) Induction of a sheet polymer of tubulin by Zn+2. Exp Cell Res 100:104–110
Mizuhira V, Futaesaku Y (1972) New fixation for biological membranes using tannic acids. Acta Histochem Cytochem 5:233–236
Mukai M, Torikata C, Iri H, Mikata A, Sakamoto T, Hanaoka H, Shinohara C, Baba N, Kanaya K, Kageyama K (1984) Alveolar soft part sarcoma. An elaboration of a three-dimensional configuration of the crystalloids by digital image processing. Am J Pathol 116:398–406
Mukai M, Torikata C, Iri H, Mikata A, Hanaoka H, Kato K, Kageyama K (1986) Histogenesis of alveolar soft part sarcoma. An immunohistochemical and biochemical study. Am J Surg Pathol 10:212–218
Nagano T, Ohtsuki I (1971) Reinvestigation of the fine structure of Reinke's crystal in the human testicular interstitial cell. J Cell Biol 51:148–161
Nagano T (1966) Some observations on the fine structure of the Sertoli cell of human testis. Z Zellforsch 73:89–106
Phillips G, Mukherjee TM (1972) A juxtaglomerular cell tumor: light and electron microscopic studies of a renin-secreting kidney tumor containing both juxtaglomerular cells and mast cells. Pathol 4:193–204
Rubio CA, Kato Y (1986) Ciliated metaplasia in the gastric mucosa. Studies on Japanese patients. Jpn J Cancer Res (Gann) 77:282–286
Schechter J, Yancey B, Weiner R (1976) Response of tanycytes of rat median eminence to intraventricular administration of colchicine and vinblastine. Anat Rec 184:233–250
Shipkey FH, Lieberman PH, Foote FN, Stewart FW (1964) Ultrastructure of alveolar soft part sarcoma. Cancer 17:821–830
Spurr AR (1969) A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J Ultrast Res 26:31–43
Tamm LK, Crepeau RH, Edelstein SJ (1979) Three-dimensional reconstruction of tubulin in zinc-induced sheets. J Mol Biol 130:473–492
Torikata C, Mukai M, Kawakita H, Kageyama K (1986) Ciliated cells in human metaplastic gastric mucosa. A proposal of a new term “ciliated metaplasia”. Proc XI Intn Cong Electron Microscopy Kyoto 3549-3550
Torikata C, Mukai M, Kawakita H (1989) Ultrastructure of metaplastic gastric ciliated cells in human stomach. Virchow Arch A 414:113–119
Tyson GE, Bulger RE (I973) Vinblastine-induced paracrystals and unusual large microtubule (macrotubule) in rat renal cells. Z Zellforsch 141:443–458
Youson JH (1982) Replication of basal bodies and ciliogenesis in a ciliated epithelium of the lamprey. Cell Tissue Res 223:255–266.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Torikata, C., Mukai, M. Paracrystalline inclusions in metaplastic ciliated cells of the human gastric mucosa. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 415, 145–149 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00784352
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00784352