Subendothelial fibrillar laminae in the carotid arteries of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Summary The endothelium in the carotid arteries of the giraffe lies on an extensive basement membrane complex that has a distinctly fibrillar component. Small electron-dense areas occur in the basal portion of the endothelium and normally in apposition to the fibrillar laminae of the basement membrane. These zones are believed here to constitute hemi-desmosomes where endothelial attachment may be most tenacious.