scholarly journals Fetal Spinal Cord Tissue in Mini-Guidance Channels Promotes Longitudinal Axonal Growth after Grafting into Hemisected Adult Rat Spinal Cords

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 103-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman I. Bamber ◽  
Huaying Li ◽  
Patrick Aebischer ◽  
Xiao Ming Xu
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Axonal Growth ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Myelinated Axons ◽  
Double Labeling ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Adult Rat ◽  
Graft Interface ◽  
Guidance Channels

Solid fetal spinal cord (FSC) tissue, seeded into semipermeable mini-guidance channels, was tested for the ability to promote axonal growth across the gap created by a midthoracic (T8) hemisection in adult rats. Fetal thoracic spinal cords, at embryonic days 13 to 15, were harvested and gently aspirated into mini-guidance channels (1.25 mm in diameter and 3.0 mm in length). Care was taken to maintain the rostro-caudal orientation of the FSC. In control rats, the FSC-channel congraft struct was exposed to 5 freeze/thaw cycles to produce non-viable grafts before implantation into the hemisected cord. All cases revealed intact tissue cables of various diameters spanning the rostro-caudal extent of the lesion cavity, with integration of host-graft tissues at both interfaces. Immunofluorescence results indicated that numerous neurofilament-positive axons were present within the FSC tissue cable. Double-labeling of a subpopulation of these axons with calcitonin generelated peptide indicated their peripheral nervous system (PNS) origin. Descending serotonergic and noradrenergic axons were found in the proximity of the rostral host-graft interface, but were not observed to grow into the FSC-graft. Anterograde tracing of propriospinal axons with Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin demonstrated that axons had regenerated into the FSC-graft and had traveled longitudinally to the distal end of the channel. Few axons were observed to cross the distal host-graft interface to enter the host spinal cord. Cross-sectional analysis at the midpoint of the tissue cable stained with toluidine blue demonstrated a significant increase (P<0.01) in myelinated axons in viable FSC grafts (1455±663, mean±S.E.M.; n=6) versus freeze-thaw control grafts (155±50; n=5). In addition to the myelinated axons, many unmyelinated axons were observed in the tissue cable at the electron microscopic level. Areas resembling the PNS with typical Schwann cells, as well as those resembling the central nervous system with neurons and central neuropil, were also seen. In freeze-thaw control grafts, neither viable neurons nor central neuropil were observed. Retrograde tracing with Fast Blue and Diamidino Yellow demonstrated that neurons within the FSC graft extended axons into the host spinal cord at least for 2 mm from both the rostral and caudal host-graft interfaces. We conclude that viable FSC grafts within semipermeable guidance channels may serve both as a permissive bridge for longitudinally directed axonal growth and a potential relay for conveying information across a lesion site in the adult rat spinal cord.

scholarly journals Immunolocalization of a neuronal growth-dependent membrane glycoprotein.

1985 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. 1990-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Wallis ◽  
L Ellis ◽  
K Suh ◽  
K H Pfenninger
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Growth Cone ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Axonal Growth ◽  
Staining Intensity ◽  
Olfactory Nerve ◽  
Membrane Glycoprotein ◽  
Neural Cells ◽  
Developing Spinal Cord

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 5B4 recognizes in the rat a large, developmentally regulated membrane glycoprotein. The larger form of this antigen (185-255 kD) occurs in the developing nervous system and is present in membranes of nerve growth cones, as determined by analysis of a growth cone particle fraction. An immunochemical characterization of this antigen and of a smaller form (140 kD), sparsely present in the mature nervous system, has been described (Ellis, L., I. Wallis, E. Abreu, and K. H. Pfenninger, 1985, J. Cell. Biol., 101:1977-1989). The present paper reports on the localization by immunofluorescence of 5B4 antigen in cultured cortical neurons, developing spinal cord, and the mature olfactory system. In culture, mAb 5B4 stains only neurons; it is sparsely present in neurons at the onset of sprouting while, during sprouting, it appears to be concentrated at the growth cone and in regions of the perikaryon. In the developing spinal cord, 5B4 labeling is faintly detectable on embryonic day 11 but is intense on fetal day 13. At this stage, the fluorescence is observed in regions of the cord where axonal growth is occurring, while areas composed of dividing or migrating neural cells are nonfluorescent. With maturation of the spinal cord, this basic pattern of fluorescence persists initially, but the staining intensity decreases dramatically. In the adult, faint fluorescence is detectable only in gray matter, presumably indicating the presence of the 140 kD rather than the fetal antigen. The only known structure of the adult mammalian nervous system where axonal growth normally occurs is the olfactory nerve. mAb 5B4 intensely stains a variable proportion of olfactory axons in the mucosa as well as in the olfactory bulb. Based on both immunochemical and immunofluorescence data, the 5B4 antigen of 185-255 kD is associated specifically with growing neurons, i.e., neurons that are generating neurites.

Oxidative and glycolytic pathways in rat (newborn and adult) and turtle brain: role during anoxia

1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (4) ◽  
pp. R595-R603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Xia ◽  
C. Jiang ◽  
G. G. Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Iodoacetic Acid ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Newborn Rats ◽  
Adult Rat

Using enzyme histochemistry and in vitro electrophysiological recordings in brain slices, we studied 1) the relative activity of cytochrome c oxidase (Cytox) and hexokinase (HK) and 2) cellular function by examining ionic homeostasis across cell membranes in the turtle and newborn (5 days old) and adult rat central nervous system. We found that Cytox was higher in the rostral than in the caudal brain regions of the adult rat and that the activity in the newborn is at least as high as in the adult rat. In contrast, adult turtles had very low Cytox activity throughout the central nervous system. Compared with that in the adult rat, HK activity in the newborn was generally lower in the rostral brain and cerebellum but similar or higher in the brain stem and spinal cord. In the turtle, HK activity was higher in the cerebellum, brain stem, and ventral horn of the spinal cord than in those in the rat. During anoxia, extracellular K+ increased by approximately 10-fold (from 3.2 to approximately 32 mM) in the adult brain stem but only by 2.6 mM in newborn rats. After glycolysis was blocked with iodoacetic acid (10-20 mM), extracellular K+ increased remarkably in both adult and newborn rats to approximately 35 mM. In contrast, the turtle brain tissue showed a slight and insignificant increase in extracellular K+ during complete anoxia or with iodoacetic acid; there was a modest increase in K+ when anoxia and iodoacetate were administered together. We conclude that 1) the newborn rat brain must rely either on higher glycolytic capacity or on a reduction of metabolic rate during O2 deprivation and 2) the turtle brain can subsist on nonglucose fuels or on fuels not requiring the citric acid cycle and the electron transfer chain.

A combined pre- and post-embedding double labeling in the central nervous system with good tissue preservation

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 276-277
Author(s):  
A.M. Milroy ◽  
D.D. Ralston
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Osmium Tetroxide ◽  
Microscopic Level ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Double Labeling ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Multiple labeling at the electron microscopic level is routinely done in various parts of the central nervous system. We demonstrate that the pre-embedding tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) reaction for visualizing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) of Olucha and the slow osmication of Henry combined with a post-embedding nonetching immunogold method will also preserve good ultrastructure. Furthermore, the post-embedding immunocytochemistry of some neurotransmitters, i.e. gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA), can be done months after the tissue has been reacted for HRP and embedded in regular epon.Pre-embedding histochemistry:The use of TMB as a chromagen for the demonstration of neuronally transported HRP has both the advantage of being highly sensitive and of producing very specific needle-like crystals. Olucha et al demonstrated that one could further stabilize this reaction product with amonium heptamolybdate. Unfortunately the next step, fixation with regular osmium tetroxide, often resulted in the loss of the reaction product. However, the slow osmication with a lower pH (5.5) in the phosphate buffer at room temperature as recommended by Henry et al prevented this loss, and at the same time resulted in well preserved ultrastructure.

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