The pattern of organization of intermediate filaments and their asymmetrical association with dense bodies in smooth muscle of an ascidian Halocynthia roretzi

Abstract

An extensive network of intermediate filaments that interconnected cytoplasmic dense bodies and connected the dense bodies to the cell surface was revealed in double-fixed, tannic acid-stained preparations of ascidian smooth muscle. The filament network ran through spaces in the continuous network of myofibrils, connecting them longitudinally, obliquely and transversely to form an intimately associated, dual network. In their transverse passage, the intermediate filaments ran across myofibrils along I-zones exclusively, interconnecting successive dense bodies. The pattern of attachment of intermediate filaments to dense bodies was predominantly “one-sided.” The filaments, which themselves were not incorporated into the contractile apparatus, remained folded or unfolded between myofibrils and between sarcomere-like structures in synchrony with the contraction-relaxation cycles. These results suggest that the intermediate filaments mechanically maintain the organization and arrangement of myofibrils via an intimate association with the myofibrils in the regions of the dense bodies, in such a way that the filaments do not impede muscle function. Based on these observations, a new model for the network of intermediate filaments in smooth muscle cells is proposed.