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![]() [Cover Caption] Other Issues: |
Contents: Volume 284, Issue 6
June 2003 [Index by Author] [Editorial Board]
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Cover: Scanning electron micrograph of the surface of bladder urothelium showing the tile pattern of contiguous polygonally shaped umbrella cells from an extended mouse bladder. The umbrella cell in the center detached during tissue preparation, breaking away at the region of the tight junction, revealing the underlying intermediate cellular layer of this complex epithelial structure. The apical surface of these umbrella cells is made up of numerous urothelial plaques up to 1 µm in diameter, consisting of hexagonally packed two-dimensional crystals of 16-nm uroplakin particles, which contribute, together with the lipids and tight junctions, to the permeability barrier function of the urothelium. A loose red blood cell (shown in red) appears on the surface of the epithelium. Photo was taken by Kachar B, National Institutes of Health. See related article by Hu P, Meyers S, Liang F-X, Deng F-M, Kachar B, Zeidel ML, and Sun T-T. Role of membrane proteins in permeability barrier function: uroplakin ablation elevates urothelial permeability. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 283: F1200-F1207, 2002.
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