Two mouse monoclonal antibodies generated against human placental homogenate were found to react specifically with human complement component C3. In immunofluorescence of human tissues, these antibodies gave a bright linear staining outlining the glomerular basement membrane of the adult kidney and the trophoblast basement membrane of placenta. An identical staining pattern was observed with a ...

Light and electron microscope immunohistochemical methods were used to study the distribution of several proteins in rat skeletal muscle. The aims were to identify components of muscle fiber basement membrane and to compare the small fraction (0.1%) of the basement membrane that extends through the synaptic cleft at the neuromuscular junction with the remaining, extrasynaptic portion. Synaptic ...

Vascular basement membrane was disrupted in the presence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN's) during two immunologic reactions: The Arthus phenomenon and the reaction to locally injected antibody to vascular basement membrane. This disruption was evidenced by (a) the inability of the basement membrane to retain circulating carbon, by (b) loss of antigenic constituents, and by (c) electron mi...

[1] Heat flow measurements colocated with seismic data across 106 Ma seafloor of the Madeira Abyssal Plain (MAP) reveal variations in seafloor heat flow of ±10–20% that are positively correlated with basement relief buried below thick sediments. Conductive finite element models of sediments and upper basement using reasonable thermal properties are capable of generating the observed positive co...

Basement membranes are specialized extracellular matrices consisting of tissue-specific organizations of multiple matrix molecules and serve as structural barriers as well as substrates for cellular interactions. The network of collagen IV is thought to define the scaffold integrating other components such as, laminins, nidogens or perlecan, into highly organized supramolecular architectures. T...

The original study in three Pennsylvania houses found that operation of active soil depressurization (ASD) radon control systems caused modest reductions in basement moisture levels. Additional, supplemental analysis has been conducted on the relationship between basement air and outdoor air moisture, and on the movement of airborne sources of basement air moisture under the influence of ASD sy...

The skeletal muscle basement membrane fulfils several crucial functions during development and in the mature myotome and defects in its composition underlie certain forms of muscular dystrophy. A major component of this extracellular structure is the laminin polymer, which assembles into a resilient meshwork that protects the sarcolemma during contraction. Here we describe a zebrafish mutant, s...

Topographical cues, independent of biochemistry, generated by the extracellular matrix may have significant effects upon cellular behavior. Studies have documented that substratum topography has direct effects on the ability of cells to orient themselves, migrate, and produce organized cytoskeletal arrangements. Basement membranes are composed of extracellular matrix proteins and found througho...

Map-dot-fingerprint basement-membrane abnormalities of the cornea are common in the general population, affecting as many as 76% of persons over age 50 and 42% of persons of all ages. The prevalence of this condition in the general population is not significantly different from that found in families of patients with recurrent corneal erosions and map-dot-fingerprint corneal changes. Despite th...

Many mammalian organs undergo branching morphogenesis to create highly arborized structures with maximized surface area for specialized organ function. Cooperative cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions that sculpt the emerging tissue architecture are guided by dynamic basement membranes. Properties of the basement membrane are reciprocally controlled by the interacting epithelial and mesenchymal ...