Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Hexagonal Lattice of Subunits in the Thick Luminal Membrane of the Rat Urinary Bladder

Nature volume 224, pages 1304–1305 (1969)Cite this article

Abstract

THE superficial cells of the rat urinary bladder are limited on their luminal face by a rigid plasma membrane 120 Å thick, which has an asymmetric unit structure and which acts as a passive barrier to the loss of water from the tissues to the urine1,2 We have now isolated this membrane from bladder epithelium, after pre-treatment with fluorescein mercuric acetate, by differential centrifugation of epithelial homogenates on sucrose density gradients (unpublished work) The availability of a relatively pure thick membrane preparation has enabled us to re-examine the membrane structure in detail, by comparing the images obtained in sectioned material with those of negatively stained whole mounts.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hicks, R. M., J. Cell Biol., 26, 25 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hicks, R. M., J. Cell Biol., 28, 21 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hicks, R. M., and Ketterer, B., Proc. Roy. Micros. Soc., 4, 118 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Robertson, J. D., J. Cell Biol., 19, 201 (1963).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Revel, J. P., and Karnovsky, M. J., J. Cell Biol., 33, C7 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Benedetti, E. L., and Emmelot, P., J. Cell Biol., 38, 15 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Robertson, J. D., in Principles of Biomolecular Organization (edit. by Wolstenholme, G. E. W., and O'Connor, M.), 357 (Churchill, London, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Stoeckenius, W., and Engelman, D. E., J. Cell Biol., 42, 613 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bland–Sutton Institute of Pathology,

    R. M. HICKS & B. KETTERER

  2. Courtauld Institute of Biochemistry, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, W1

    R. M. HICKS & B. KETTERER

Authors
  1. R. M. HICKS
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. KETTERER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

HICKS, R., KETTERER, B. Hexagonal Lattice of Subunits in the Thick Luminal Membrane of the Rat Urinary Bladder. Nature 224, 1304–1305 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/2241304a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2241304a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing