Über den einfluß des hydrostatischen druckes auf die ultrastrukturen von zellen und geweben. III. Untersuchungen an filament-und mikrotubulisystemen verschiedener gewebe mariner muscheln und Branchiostoma lanceolatum

Employing the technique of pressure fixation, the effect of high hydrostatic pressure (1 to 800 atm) at 5°C has been investigated on cilia of the gill epithelium in Modiolus modiolus, Mytilus edulis (Baltic and North Seas), and on the skin and muscle cells of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas). With increasing pressure, the filaments and tubuli are increasingly disorganized to an electron-dense material, which seems to be a conglomeration of the globular structure units. Minimum pressure causing disintegration of filaments and tubules is 300 atm; 600 atm is critical, especially for filaments in skin cells of B. lanceolatum. Whereas the filaments do not show any intermediate stages of damage at any one pressure, microtubules show different stages of disorganization. There seems to be a direct relation between motility and structural organization of cilia. Probably the mechanisms of disintegration of filaments and microtubules are related to the enzymatic activities and the protein-protein-interactions of the subunits. The difference between di-and monomer enzymatic systems in the structures may be important for pressure resistance of the organelles.