1982 Volume 58 Issue 4-6 Pages 729-743
The transitional epithelium of the urinary bladder (urothelium) of the monkey (Macaca irus) was investigated by light and electron microscopy. The superficial cells of the transitional epithelium of the monkey urinary bladder were large and polyhedral in shape in the collapsed stage. The luminal plama membrane revealed a scalloped appearance and was composed of a thick asymmetrical unit membrane. In the cytoplasm, filamentous inclusion bodies were observed in the vicinity of the nucleus. They measured 6.5μm×5.0μm in diameter on average, and consisted of filaments measuring ca.15 nm in diameter. These filaments were arranged regularly parallel to each other with interfilamentous spaces of ca.7 nm. The filamentous inclusion bodies were not surrounded by the limiting membrane. They stongly resembled the crystalloids of Charcot-Bottcher. The significance and function of these structures were not clear. The formation of the filamentous inclusion bodies is discussed.
