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Trans-Golgi network (TGN) of different cell types: three-dimensional structural characteristics and variability
Y Clermont1, A Rambourg, L Hermo
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
The Anatomical Record
|July 1, 1995
Summary
The trans-Golgi network (TGN) structure varies significantly across cell types. It is extensive in cells with lysosomes but absent or small in cells producing secretory granules.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Structural Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The trans-Golgi network (TGN) is traditionally viewed as a permanent Golgi apparatus compartment.
- This study investigates the three-dimensional TGN characteristics across diverse mammalian cell types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To verify the postulate of the TGN as a permanent structural compartment.
- To compare the three-dimensional TGN characteristics in 14 different mammalian cell types.
Main Methods:
- Utilized low and high voltage electron microscopy on fixed and stained tissue sections.
- Employed stereopairs from tilted specimen photographs for 3D structural observation.
- Examined TGNs in various cell types, including Sertoli cells, since 1979.
Main Results:
- TGNs are extensive in cells with extensive lysosomal systems and lacking large secretory granules.
- TGNs are absent in cells producing very large secretory granules and small/fragmented in cells with smaller granules.
- Observed continuity between TGNs and Golgi saccules, but TGNs are not continuous along the Golgi ribbon and show renewal configurations.
Conclusions:
- TGN structure is highly variable depending on cell type and secretory activity.
- Extensive TGNs correlate with lysosomal systems, while reduced or absent TGNs correlate with secretory granule production.
- The TGN is a dynamic structure, not a permanent compartment, with configurations suggesting desquamation and renewal.