A special fibril of the dermis

A new type of extracellular fibril is described in the dermis of Bufo marinus, Rana pipiens, and Amblystoma punctatum. It is restricted in distribution to the dermal micropapillae and the region immediately below them in the stratum spongiosum. The fibrils (diameter = 200 to 750 A) are lateral aggregates of fine filaments and have a unique banding pattern characterized by absence of recognizable periodicity and by polarization in respect to the basement membrane. Their distal(1) ends are anchored in the basement membrane, and their proximal ends converge in knots located in the middle region of the micropapillae. These anchoring fibrils seem to secure the minute outfoldings of the basement membrane along the dermal-epidermal junction. Comparable, but less frequent, fibrils are also encountered along the proximal aspect of the basement membrane in the skin, lingual mucosa, and mucosa of the gastric fundus in the rat.

Hurler's syndrome: demonstration of an inherited disorder of connective tissue in cell culture

Skin fibroblasts from three patients with Hurler's syndrome were grown in tissue culture and shown to contain metachromatic granules when stained for mucopolysaccharides with toluidine blue O. Similar inclusions were observed in cultures of fibroblasts from other members of the families, who appeared to be clinically normal but who were, judged from studies of pedigree, heterozygous or hemizygous for the abnormal gene.

Chromosome studies of normal and psoriatic skin fibroblasts

A method for obtaining large numbers of fibroblasts from punch biopsies of skin tissue and a procedure for the visualization of chromosomes from these cells are presented in detail. The chromosomes are well separated, and fine details of their structure are seen. A study was made of 275 cells from apparently normal and from involved areas of skin from patients with psoriasis. No changes either in the number or in the fine structure of the chromosomes were observed.