Summary
The areas of 2327 mast cell granules in transmission electron micrographs of sections of peritoneal mast cells from adult rats were measured by digitized planimetry. A histogram constructed using equivalent volumes calculated from the measured areas assuming approximation of the granules to spheres showed a periodic multimodal distribution in which the modes fell at volumes that were successively larger integral multiples of the volume at the first mode. Application of a moving-bin technique to the data confirmed the presence of the modes. We propose a mechanism of fusion of unit sized granules to account for the multimodal distribution. The presence of pear- and dumbbell-shaped granules in mast cells is consistent with this mechanism.
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Hammel, I., Lagunoff, D., Bauza, M. et al. Periodic, multimodal distribution of granule volumes in mast cells. Cell Tissue Res. 228, 51–59 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206264
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206264