Structural Modulations of Plasmalemmal Vesicles

Structural modulations affecting a small fraction of the population of plasmalemmal vesicles of vascular endothelia are described. They include forms which are apparently produced by the fusion of the vesicular membrane with the plasmalemma and by the successive elimination of the layers of the two fused membranes. Such modulations are assumed to represent stages in the discharge process of vesicular contents. Other forms, characterized by their flask shape and elongated neck, are assumed to represent stages in the formation and loading of membrane invaginations, followed by their being pinched off to form isolated vesicles. Stages in a membrane-fusion process leading to the formation of apertured fenestrae and channels are also described in fenestrated endothelia. The visualization of these structural details is greatly facilitated by staining tissue specimens with uranyl acetate before dehydration.