ER-phagy in human atherosclerosis: an exploratory ultrastructural study.

This study has been undertaken to explore the existence of this selective control mechanism in the cells of human atherosclerotic plaques. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that in the plaque cells the smooth ER profiles reorganized into concentric whorls and closely packed membranes arranged in curved and parallel arrays. Circular, often ring-shaped, ER membranes studded with ribosomes and enclosed in a sequestering vesicle have been also frequently observed. This preliminary study demonstrates the existence of a distinct machinery for the specific turnover of ER membranes in human atherosclerosis and provides the first ultrastructural description of ER-phagy in the diseased vascular tissue. These results may open new perspectives for future investigation in the cardiovascular field. PMID: 33118423 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Ultrastructural Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Ultrastruct Pathol Source Type: research