Biomaterial Database

Ultrastructural peculiarities of intercellular junctions in bronchopulmonary carcinomas. 1981

P G Nicolescu, and A Eskenasy, and V Mangiulea, and G Diaconiţă, and M Stefan

Six bronchopulmonary carcinomas of various histological types (macrocellular, epidermoid) were electronmicroscopically studied on bronchial biopsy samples. The scarcity of intercellular junctions was observed in all of them, especially in carcinoma types or zones (i.e. of epidermoid carcinoma) less differentiated. Close and gap junctions, zonulae adherentes and maculae adherentes dominated the structure of poorly differentiated carcinomas, while the differentiated types also presented frequent desmosomes. Also the reduction of intercellular junctions frequency was accompanied by their ultrastructural aberrations. The ultrastructural changes observed were correlated to the capacity for invasion of investigated carcinomas without reducing this basic property of cancer cells to the former.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007365	Intercellular Junctions	Direct contact of a cell with a neighboring cell. Most such junctions are too small to be resolved by light microscopy, but they can be visualized by conventional or freeze-fracture electron microscopy, both of which show that the interacting CELL MEMBRANE and often the underlying CYTOPLASM and the intervening EXTRACELLULAR SPACE are highly specialized in these regions. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p792)	Cell Junctions,Cell Junction,Intercellular Junction,Junction, Cell,Junction, Intercellular,Junctions, Cell,Junctions, Intercellular
D008175	Lung Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the LUNG.	Cancer of Lung,Lung Cancer,Pulmonary Cancer,Pulmonary Neoplasms,Cancer of the Lung,Neoplasms, Lung,Neoplasms, Pulmonary,Cancer, Lung,Cancer, Pulmonary,Cancers, Lung,Cancers, Pulmonary,Lung Cancers,Lung Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Lung,Neoplasm, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Cancers,Pulmonary Neoplasm
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
D002294	Carcinoma, Squamous Cell	A carcinoma derived from stratified SQUAMOUS EPITHELIAL CELLS. It may also occur in sites where glandular or columnar epithelium is normally present. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Carcinoma, Epidermoid,Carcinoma, Planocellular,Carcinoma, Squamous,Squamous Cell Carcinoma,Carcinomas, Epidermoid,Carcinomas, Planocellular,Carcinomas, Squamous,Carcinomas, Squamous Cell,Epidermoid Carcinoma,Epidermoid Carcinomas,Planocellular Carcinoma,Planocellular Carcinomas,Squamous Carcinoma,Squamous Carcinomas,Squamous Cell Carcinomas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man