Ultrastructure of the liver in th cerebrohepatorenal syndrome of Zellweger. 1983

W J Mooi, and K P Dingemans, and M A van den Bergh Weerman, and A C Jöbsis, and H S Heymans, and P G Barth

Three infants with clinical and biochemical features of Zellweger's cerebrohepatorenal syndrome are presented, and the ultrastructural features of successive biopsy and autopsy liver specimens are described. No hepatocellular peroxisomes were found in these patients on routine electron microscopy or electron microscopic histochemistry. In a control group of liver biopsies from 9 patients with other pediatric liver diseases, peroxisomes were readily identifiable in each hepatocyte. Apart from the absence of peroxisomes, the hepatocytes had a remarkably "normal" aspect, even in the final stages of the disease. Mitochondrial abnormalities, which have been the subject of some controversy in this syndrome, were a highly variable and inconstant finding in our cases. We draw attention to another ultrastructural feature of the syndrome, namely the occurrence of large angulate lysosomes, containing conspicuous double lamellae, inside macrophages, which were especially abundant in later stages of the disease. These angulate lysosomes may be of additional value in the ultrastructural diagnosis of Zellweger's syndrome, especially when only poorly preserved liver tissue (e.g., paraffin-embedded or postmortem material) is available, and the absence of peroxisomes is difficult to assess. In these instances, the angulate lysosomes can still be identified with ease.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D007674 Kidney Diseases Pathological processes of the KIDNEY or its component tissues. Disease, Kidney,Diseases, Kidney,Kidney Disease
D008055 Lipids A generic term for fats and lipoids, the alcohol-ether-soluble constituents of protoplasm, which are insoluble in water. They comprise the fats, fatty oils, essential oils, waxes, phospholipids, glycolipids, sulfolipids, aminolipids, chromolipids (lipochromes), and fatty acids. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed) Lipid
D008099 Liver A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances. Livers
D008107 Liver Diseases Pathological processes of the LIVER. Liver Dysfunction,Disease, Liver,Diseases, Liver,Dysfunction, Liver,Dysfunctions, Liver,Liver Disease,Liver Dysfunctions
D008247 Lysosomes A class of morphologically heterogeneous cytoplasmic particles in animal and plant tissues characterized by their content of hydrolytic enzymes and the structure-linked latency of these enzymes. The intracellular functions of lysosomes depend on their lytic potential. The single unit membrane of the lysosome acts as a barrier between the enzymes enclosed in the lysosome and the external substrate. The activity of the enzymes contained in lysosomes is limited or nil unless the vesicle in which they are enclosed is ruptured or undergoes MEMBRANE FUSION. (From Rieger et al., Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular, 5th ed). Autolysosome,Autolysosomes,Lysosome
D008264 Macrophages The relatively long-lived phagocytic cell of mammalian tissues that are derived from blood MONOCYTES. Main types are PERITONEAL MACROPHAGES; ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES; HISTIOCYTES; KUPFFER CELLS of the liver; and OSTEOCLASTS. They may further differentiate within chronic inflammatory lesions to EPITHELIOID CELLS or may fuse to form FOREIGN BODY GIANT CELLS or LANGHANS GIANT CELLS. (from The Dictionary of Cell Biology, Lackie and Dow, 3rd ed.) Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages,Monocyte-Derived Macrophages,Macrophage,Macrophages, Monocyte-Derived,Bone Marrow Derived Macrophages,Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophage,Macrophage, Bone Marrow-Derived,Macrophage, Monocyte-Derived,Macrophages, Bone Marrow-Derived,Macrophages, Monocyte Derived,Monocyte Derived Macrophages,Monocyte-Derived Macrophage
D008830 Microbodies Electron-dense cytoplasmic particles bounded by a single membrane, such as PEROXISOMES; GLYOXYSOMES; and glycosomes. Glycosomes,Glycosome,Microbody
D008854 Microscopy, Electron Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen. Electron Microscopy
D008930 Mitochondria, Liver Mitochondria in hepatocytes. As in all mitochondria, there are an outer membrane and an inner membrane, together creating two separate mitochondrial compartments: the internal matrix space and a much narrower intermembrane space. In the liver mitochondrion, an estimated 67% of the total mitochondrial proteins is located in the matrix. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p343-4) Liver Mitochondria,Liver Mitochondrion,Mitochondrion, Liver

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