INVESTIGATION OF JUNCTIONAL APPARATUS BETWEEN COLLAGEN FIBERS IN THE CILIARY BODY STROMA AND THE BASEMENT MEMBRANE OF THE CILIARY PIGMENTED EPITHELIUM IN RABBITS

Abstract

We investigated the junctional apparatus between collagen fibers in the ciliary stroma and the basement membrane of pigment epithelium in the pars plana area in rabbits, in order to clarify how the power of the ciliary body stroma is transmitted to the pigment epithelium during accommodation. Six eyes of three pigmented rabbits were enucleated and immediately fixed in a half Karnovsky's solution. They were processed for transmission electron microscopic study. In the pars plana area, the basement membrane of the ciliary pigment epithelium had a connection with collagen fibers of the ciliary body in three ways : 1) by direct adhesion ; 2) by way of microfibrils ; 3) by way of cytoplasmic processes of the ciliary pigrnent epithelium that had protruded in the stroma. The unique structure described above may contribute to flexible and strong mechanical adhesion between the two adjacent structures to withstand frequent mechanical stretch and relaxation during accommodation. The association of the processes with microfibrils has not been reported in the past.