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Transverse‐axial tubular system in guinea pig ventricular cardiomyocyte: 3D reconstruction, quantification and its possible role in K + accumulation‐depletion phenomenon in single cells
Author(s) -
Amsellem Jacqueline,
Delorme Richard,
Souchier Catherine,
Ojeda Carlos
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
biology of the cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1768-322X
pISSN - 0248-4900
DOI - 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1995.tb00941.x
Subject(s) - extracellular , biology , membrane , biophysics , anatomy , guinea pig , myocyte , electrophysiology , transverse plane , isosurface , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , neuroscience , endocrinology , computer science , artificial intelligence , visualization
Summary— K + accumulation‐depletion (AD) phenomena were found in single guinea pig ventricular myocytes using the patch‐clamp method in whole cell configuration. We suggest that the cardiomyocyte transverse‐axial tubular system (TATS) lumen is the restricted extracellular space where the K + AD could take place. A three‐dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the TATS in a cardiomyocyte segment from serial ultrafine sections was made by three‐dimensional isosurface rendering and quantitative data were obtained from the image processing. This original approach of the TATS intricated network gave a new vision of this membrane system; moreover, quantitative data about the tubular membrane importance (52.6% of the total plasma membrane) and its surface area versus the tubular volume fraction (S TATS /V TATS = 13.5 μm 2 /μm 3 would fit in the electrophysiological results. The hypothesis whereby this ‘extracellular’ compartment could play, in single cells, a role as important as that of narrow clefts in the whole heart is discussed.