Linked Life Data

10945971

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/10945971

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-10-10
pubmed:abstractText
A unique feature of the vertebrate gravity receptor organs, the saccule and utricle, is the mass of biomineral structures, the otoconia, overlying a gelatinous matrix also called "otoconial membrane" on the surface of the sensory epithelium. In mammals, otoconia are deposits of calcium carbonate in the form of composite calcite crystals. We used quick-freezing, deep etching to examine the otoconial mass of the guinea pig utricle. The deep-etching step exposed large expanses of intact and fractured otoconia, showing the fine structure and relationship between their internal crystal structure, their surface components, and the filament matrix in which they are embedded. Each otoconium has a compact central core meshwork of filaments and a composite outer shell of ordered crystallites and macromolecular aggregates. A distinct network of 20-nm beaded filaments covers the surface of the otoconia. The otoconia are interconnected and secured to the gelatinous matrix by surface adhesion and by confinement within a loose interotoconial filament matrix. The gelatinous matrix is a dense network made of yet another type of filament, 22 nm in diameter, which are cross-linked by shorter filaments, characteristically 11 nm in diameter. Our freeze-etching data provide a structural framework for considering the molecular nature of the components of the otoconial complex, their mechanical properties, and the degree of biological versus chemical control of otoconia biosynthesis.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
1047-8477
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
131
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
67-78
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
The otoconia of the guinea pig utricle: internal structure, surface exposure, and interactions with the filament matrix.
pubmed:affiliation
Section on Structural Cell Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4163, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't