Intercellular junctions of the hen parathyroid gland. A freeze-fracture study.

The fine structure of the intercellular junctions of the hen parathyroid gland was studied using freeze-fracture replicas and thin sections. In the conventional thin sections, desmosomes, intermediate junctions (maculae adherentes) and gap junctions were observed, and in the lanthanum-fixed sections, tight junctions (maculae occludentes) were demonstrated as well. In the freeze-fracture replicas, desmosomes, gap junctions, tight junctions and combination forms of gap and tight junctions occurred, but intermediate junctions were not identified. Junctional complexes (zonulae occludentes) were not encountered in any preparations. The gap junctions varied in size and shape; they ranged from irregularly shaped, minute assemblages of particles to large aggregations of a round or elliptic outline. Both the tight junctions and the combination forms of gap and tight junctions also exhibited a variety of shape and dimension, and, depending on the form of the tight junctional strands, they were classified into three types: type I consisted of a simple line of strands; type II consisted of a closed network of strands; and type III consisted of an open network of strands. The combination forms were more numerous than the typical tight junctions. The possible significance of these junctions is discussed in relation to the function of the parathyroid parenchymal cell.