3-DIMENSIONAL FEATURES OF THE STRIATED ORGANELLE IN THE VESTIBULAR HAIR CELL

The striated organelle, the Friedmann''s body, of the vestibular hair cells in normal guinea pigs were examined using a freeze-fracture-etch technique. The striated organelles were composed of periodic parallel loose spirals of 2 fine fibrils, the thick strands. This main distance was divided by thin strands, and many fine fibrils cross-linked the thick strands to the central thin strands. The thin strands were positioned on a different plane from that of the thick strands and the thin strands were cross-linked with thick strands by fine fibrils in a radiating pattern, giving them a columnar appearance.