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American Journal of Pathology, Vol 78, 427-460, Copyright © 1975 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

REGULAR ARTICLES

The nuclear membranes in hypertrophied human cardiac muscle cells

VJ Ferrans, M Jones, BJ Maron and WC Roberts

Nuclear membranes of cardiac muscle cells were studied in 134 patients with cardiac hypertrophy of various causes. Abnormalities observed consisted of: a) increased foldings and convolutions; b) nuclear pseudoinclusions formed by cytoplasmic organelles protruding into saccular invaginations of the nuclear membranes, and c) intranuclear tubules. The increased foldings and convolutions of the nuclear membranes and the nuclear pseudoinclusions appear to result from synthesis of nuclear membranes in excess of that needed to accommodate the increase in nuclear volume which occurs in hypertrophy. Intranuclear tubules were found in 6 patients and consisted of tubular invaginations, 400 to 650 A in diameter, of the inner nuclear membranes into the nucleoplasm. Some of these tubules were straight and cylindrical, and were associated with a peripheral layer of marginated chromatin; others were not associated with chromatin, appeared coiled and followed irregular courses. Intranuclear tubules in cardiac muscle cells probably represent an extreme cellular response to the stimulus of hypertrophy.