Ineffective Thrombopoiesis

Author(s):  
JM Radley ◽  
SL Ellis

In effective thrombopoies is has been inferred to occur in several disease sates from considerations of megakaryocyte mass and platelet kinetics. Microscopic examination has demonstrated increased numbers of megakaryocytes, with a typical forms particularly pronounced, in primary myelofibrosis. It has not been documented if megakaryocyte ever fail to reach maturity in non-pathological situations. A major difficulty of establishing this is that the number of megakaryocytes normally present in the marrow is extremely low. A large transient increase in megakaryocytopoiesis can how ever be induced in mice by an injection of 5-fluorouracil. We have utilised this treatment and report here evidence for in effective thrombopoies is in healthy mice.Adult mice were perfused (2% glutaraldehyde in 0.08M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4) 8 days following an injection of 5-fluorouracil (150mg/kg). Femurs were subsequently decalcified in 10% neutral E.D.T.A. and embedded in Spurrs resin. Transverse sections of marrow revealed many megakaryocytes at various stages of maturity. Occasional megakaryocytes (less than 1%) were found to be under going degeneration prior to achieving full maturation and releasing cytoplasm as platelets. These cells were characterized by a peripheral rim of dense cytoplasm which enveloped a mass of organelles and vacuoles (Fig. 1). Numerous microtubules were foundaround and with in the organelle-rich zone (Fig 2).

Author(s):  
John J. Wolosewick

Classically, the male germinal epithelium is depicted as synchronously developing uninucleate spermatids conjoined by intercellular bridges. Recently, binucleate and multinucleate spermatids from human and mouse testis have been reported. The present paper describes certain developmental events in one type of binucleate spermatid in the seminiferous epithelium of the mouse.Testes of adult mice (ABP Jax) were removed from the animals after cervical dislocation and placed into 2.5% glutaraldehyde/Millonig's phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). Testicular capsules were gently split and separated, exposing the tubules. After 15 minutes the tissue was carefully cut into cubes (approx. 1mm), fixed for an additional 45 minutes and processed for electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
John J. Wolosewick ◽  
John H. D. Bryan

The manchette is a transitory microtubular complex associated with a spermatid nucleus during the morphopoietic events of spermiogenesis. Behnke and Forer provided evidence for four classes of microtubules (mts) in crane fly spermatids, rat sperm tails and tracheal cilia. Their observations also included the Sertoli cell and spermatid tail mts in rat testis, but they failed to mention the manchette mts. This present paper points out the distinct difference in stability or resistance to pepsin digestion between the manchette mts and other microtubular elements in the seminiferous epithelium of the mouse.Testes of adult mice were removed from the’ animals after cervical dislocation and placed into 2.5% glutaraldehyde/Millonig's phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). Testicular capsules were gently split and separated, thus exposing the tubules. After 15 min.


Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere ◽  
Eric F. Erbe

It has been assumed by many involved in freeze-etch or freeze-fracture studies that it would be useless to etch specimens which were cryoprotected by more than 15% glycerol. We presumed that the amount of cryoprotective material exposed at the surface would serve as a contaminating layer and prevent the visualization of fine details. Recent unexpected freeze-etch results indicated that it would be useful to compare complementary replicas in which one-half of the frozen-fractured specimen would be shadowed and replicated immediately after fracturing whereas the complement would be etched at -98°C for 1 to 10 minutes before being shadowed and replicated.Standard complementary replica holders (Steere, 1973) with hinges removed were used for this study. Specimens consisting of unfixed virus-infected plant tissue infiltrated with 0.05 M phosphate buffer or distilled water were used without cryoprotectant. Some were permitted to settle through gradients to the desired concentrations of different cryoprotectants.


Author(s):  
Ronald H. Bradley ◽  
R. S. Berk ◽  
L. D. Hazlett

The nude mouse is a hairless mutant (homozygous for the mutation nude, nu/nu), which is born lacking a thymus and possesses a severe defect in cellular immunity. Spontaneous unilateral cataractous lesions were noted (during ocular examination using a stereomicroscope at 40X) in 14 of a series of 60 animals (20%). This transmission and scanning microscopic study characterizes the morphology of this cataract and contrasts these data with normal nude mouse lens.All animals were sacrificed by an ether overdose. Eyes were enucleated and immersed in a mixed fixative (1% osmium tetroxide and 6% glutaraldehyde in Sorenson's phosphate buffer pH 7.4 at 0-4°C) for 3 hours, dehydrated in graded ethanols and embedded in Epon-Araldite for transmission microscopy. Specimens for scanning electron microscopy were fixed similarly, dehydrated in graded ethanols, then to graded changes of Freon 113 and ethanol to 100% Freon 113 and critically point dried in a Bomar critical point dryer using Freon 13 as the transition fluid.


Author(s):  
William P. Jollie

A technique has been developed for visualizing antibody against horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in rat visceral yolk sac, the placental membrane across which passive immunity previously has been shown to be transferred from mother to young just prior to birth. Female rats were immunized by injecting both hind foot pads with 1 mg HRP emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant. They were given a booster of 0.5mg HRP in 0.1 ml normal saline i.v. after one week, then bred and autopsied at selected stages of pregnancy, viz., 12, 1 7 and 22 days post coitum, receiving a second booster, injected as above, five days before autopsy. Yolk sacs were removed surgically and fixed immediately in 2% paraformaldehye, 1% glutaraldehye in 0.1 M phosphate buffer with 0.01% CaCl2 at pH 7.4, room temperature, for 3 hr, rinsed 3X in 0.1 M phosphate buffer plus 5% sucrose, then exposed to 1 mg HRP in 1 ml 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 for 1 hr. They were refixed in aldehydes, as above, for 1 5 min (to assure binding of antigen-antibody complex). Following buffer washes, the tissues were incubated in 3 mg diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride and 0.01% H2O2 in 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer for 30 min. After brief buffer washes, they were postfixed in 2% OsO4. in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4, 4°C for 2 hr, dehydrated through a graded series of ethanols, and embedded in Durcupan. Thin sections were observed and photographed without contrast-enhancement with heavy metals. Cytochemical reaction product marked the site of HRP (i.e., antigen) which, in turn, was present only where it was bound with anti-HRP antibody.


Author(s):  
Caroline A. Miller ◽  
Laura L. Bruce

The first visual cortical axons arrive in the cat superior colliculus by the time of birth. Adultlike receptive fields develop slowly over several weeks following birth. The developing cortical axons go through a sequence of changes before acquiring their adultlike morphology and function. To determine how these axons interact with neurons in the colliculus, cortico-collicular axons were labeled with biocytin (an anterograde neuronal tracer) and studied with electron microscopy.Deeply anesthetized animals received 200-500 nl injections of biocytin (Sigma; 5% in phosphate buffer) in the lateral suprasylvian visual cortical area. After a 24 hr survival time, the animals were deeply anesthetized and perfused with 0.9% phosphate buffered saline followed by fixation with a solution of 1.25% glutaraldehyde and 1.0% paraformaldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer. The brain was sectioned transversely on a vibratome at 50 μm. The tissue was processed immediately to visualize the biocytin.


Author(s):  
K. S. McCarty ◽  
R. F. Weave ◽  
L. Kemper ◽  
F. S. Vogel

During the prodromal stages of sporulation in the Basidiomycete, Agaricus bisporus, mitochondria accumulate in the basidial cells, zygotes, in the gill tissues prior to entry of these mitochondria, together with two haploid nuclei and cytoplasmic ribosomes, into the exospores. The mitochondria contain prominent loci of DNA [Fig. 1]. A modified Kleinschmidt spread technique1 has been used to evaluate the DNA strands from purified whole mitochondria released by osmotic shock, mitochondrial DNA purified on CsCl gradients [density = 1.698 gms/cc], and DNA purified on ethidium bromide CsCl gradients. The DNA appeared as linear strands up to 25 u in length and circular forms 2.2-5.2 u in circumference. In specimens prepared by osmotic shock, many strands of DNA are apparently attached to membrane fragments [Fig. 2]. When mitochondria were ruptured in hypotonic sucrose and then fixed in glutaraldehyde, the ribosomes were released for electron microscopic examination.


Author(s):  
John R. Rowley

The morphology of the exine of many pollen grains, at the time of flowering, is such that one can suppose that transport of substances through the exine occurred during pollen development. Holes or channels, microscopic to submicroscopic, are described for a large number of grains. An inner part of the exine of Epilobium angustifolium L. and E. montanum L., which may be referred to as the endexine, has irregularly shaped channels early in pollen development although by microspore mitosis there is no indication of such channeling in chemically fixed material. The nucleus in microspores used in the experiment reported here was in prophase of microspore mitosis and the endexine, while lamellated in untreated grains, did not contain irregularly shaped channels. Untreated material from the same part of the inflorescence as iron treated stamens was examined following fixation with 0.1M glutaraldehyde in cacodylate-HCl buffer at pH 6.9 (315 milliosmoles) for 24 hrs, 4% formaldehyde in phosphate buffer at pH 7.2 (1,300 milliosmoles) for 12 hrs, 1% glutaraldehyde mixed with 0.1% osmium tetroxide for 20 min, osmium tetroxide in deionized water for 2 hrs and 1% glutaraldehyde mixed with 4% formaldehyde in 0.1M cacodylate-HCl buffer at pH 6.9 for two hrs.


Author(s):  
J. P. Robinson ◽  
P. G. Lenhert

Crystallographic studies of rabbit Fc using X-ray diffraction patterns were recently reported. The unit cell constants were reported to be a = 69. 2 A°, b = 73. 1 A°, c = 60. 6 A°, B = 104° 30', space group P21, monoclinic, volume of asymmetric unit V = 148, 000 A°3. The molecular weight of the fragment was determined to be 55, 000 ± 2000 which is in agreement with earlier determinations by other methods.Fc crystals were formed in water or dilute phosphate buffer at neutral pH. The resulting crystal was a flat plate as previously described. Preparations of small crystals were negatively stained by mixing the suspension with equal volumes of 2% silicotungstate at neutral pH. A drop of the mixture was placed on a carbon coated grid and allowed to stand for a few minutes. The excess liquid was removed and the grid was immediately put in the microscope.


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