[Freeze-fracture and deep etch replica of monkey ciliary muscle]

The author observed freeze fracture and deep etch replica of monkey ciliary muscle in order to study it's fine three dimensional structure. A three dimensional structure of the ciliary muscle cell and the relationship between the adjoining cells were elucidated. A lot of myofilaments which were meshy in shape were observed in the cytoplasm of ciliary muscle cells, and adhered to just beneath the cell membrane, nucleus membrane and limiting membrane of mitochondria directly. The arrangement direction of myofilaments was either parallel or oblique to the longitudinal axis of the cell, and then myofilaments formed dense bodies together with 10 nm filaments in some places. Myofilaments and 10 nm filaments also formed dense plaques together just beneath the cell membrane. Myofilaments and 10 nm filaments suggested to concern the cytoskeleton and the functional characteristics of the ciliary muscle cell.