Light and electron microscopic studies of the ocular tissue of a case of Menkes' kinky hair disease are described. The copper deficiency responsible for this systemic and neurologic disease appears to cause a progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells, loss of nerve fibers, and optic atrophy. The pigment epithelium is also abnormal with only small and irregular melanin granules present ...

PURPOSE To compare the fluorescence properties of autofluorescent granules generated by retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in vitro with those of the lipofuscin of RPE in vivo. METHODS Cultured human RPE cells were maintained in basal medium for as long as 1 year, fed rod outer segments (ROS) daily for as long as 56 days, fed ROS in the presence and absence of leupeptin, or fed liposomes ...

Large populations (up to 600/cell) of spherical, electron-opaque granules approximately 0.3 to 0.4 micro in diameter are characteristically found in muscle fibers of mammalian atria. They are absent in muscle fibers of the ventricles. The granules are concentrated in the sarcoplasmic core and occur in lesser numbers in the sarcoplasmic layers between myofibrils and under the plasma membrane. Th...