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PubMed1998

The sensory but not muscular pelvic nerve branch is necessary for parturition in the rat.

In the rat the pelvic nerve consists of a viscerocutaneous (sensory) branch which receives information from pelvic viscera and the midline perineal region, and a somatomotor (muscular) branch which innervates the ilio- and pubococcygeous muscles. To investigate the contribution of these branches to the parturition process, the length of gestation and course of delivery were closely monitored in 43 pregnant, Wistar-strain rats randomly assigned to five groups: untreated control animals, animals in which the somatomotor branch of the pelvic nerve was bilaterally sectioned on Day 14 of gestation, animals in which the viscerocutaneous branch of the pelvic nerve was bilaterally sectioned on Day 14 of gestation, animals treated similarly to the previous group but with young delivered by C-section at term, and sham-operated controls. Sectioning the viscerocutaneous branch seriously disrupted parturition and resulted in major dystocia and a high percentage of stillbirths in all females. In contrast, sectioning the somatomotor branch had no apparent effect on parturition and no significant differences were found between females of this group and sham or control dams on any of the measures recorded. It is concluded that the viscerocutaneous branch of the pelvic nerve is vital for the normal course of parturition in the rat but that the somatomotor branch plays little role, if any.

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1989

Branch point selection in alternative splicing of tropomyosin pre-mRNAs.

The rat tropomyosin 1 gene gives rise to two mRNAs encoding rat fibroblast TM-1 and skeletal muscle beta-tropomyosin via an alternative splicing mechanism. The gene is comprised of 11 exons. Exons 1 through 5 and exons 8 and 9 are common to all mRNAs expressed from this gene. Exons 6 and 11 are used in fibroblasts as well as smooth muscle whereas exons 7 and 10 are used exclusively in skeletal muscle. In the present studies we have focused on the mutually exclusive internal alternative splice choice involving exon 6 (fibroblast-type splice) and exon 7 (skeletal muscle-type splice). To study the mechanism and regulation of alternative splice site selection we have characterized the branch points used in processing of the tropomyosin pre-mRNAs in vitro using nuclear extracts obtained from HeLa cells. Splicing of exon 5 to exon 6 (fibroblast-type splice) involves the use of three branch points located 25, 29, and 36 nucleotides upstream of the 3' splice site of exon 6. Splicing of exon 6 (fibroblast-type splice) or exon 7 (skeletal muscle type-splice) to exon 8 involves the use of the same branch point located 24 nucleotides upstream of this shared 3' splice site. In contrast, the splicing of exon 5 to exon 7 (skeletal muscle-type splice) involves the use of three branch sites located 144, 147 and 153 nucleotides, upstream of the 3' splice site of exon 7. In addition, the pyrimidine content of the region between these unusual branch points and the 3' splice site of exon 7 was found to be greater than 80%. These studies raise the possibility that the use of branch points located a long distance from a 3' splice site may be an essential feature of some alternatively spliced exons. The possible significance of these unusual branch points as well as a role for the polypyrimidine stretch in intron 6 in splice site selection are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The effect of swainsonine and castanospermine on the sulfation of the oligosaccharide chains of N-linked glycoproteins.

MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney) cells infected with the NWS strain of influenza virus incorporate 35SO4 into complex types of oligosaccharides of the N-linked glycoproteins. On the other hand, when these virus-infected MDCK cells are incubated in the presence of swainsonine, an inhibitor of the processing mannosidase II, approximately 40-80% of the total [35S]glycopeptides were of the hybrid types of structures. Thus, these sulfated, hybrid types of glycopeptides were completely susceptible to digestion by endoglucosaminidase H, whereas the sulfated glycopeptides from infected cells incubated without swainsonine were completely resistant to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. When virus-infected MDCK cells were incubated in the presence of castanospermine, an inhibitor of the processing glucosidase I, the N-linked glycopeptides contained mostly oligosaccharide chains of the Glc3Man7-9GlcNAc2 types of structures, and these oligosaccharides were devoid of sulfate. Structural analysis of these abnormally processed oligosaccharides produced in the presence of swainsonine or castanospermine indicated that they differed principally in the processing of one oligosaccharide branch as indicated by the structures shown below. They also differed in that only the swainsonine-induced structures were sulfated. These data indicate that removal of glucose units and perhaps other processing steps are necessary before sulfate residues can be added. (Formula: see text).

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1986

[Morphologic features of the chemosensory, visual and vestibular pathways of Helix lucorum].

The structure of chemosensory, visual and statocyst pathways of the snail Helix lucorum has been studied by means of five histological methods. The chemoreceptors of the optic tentacle bulb, small and large neurons of tentacle ganglion and bipolar cells of olfactory nerve send their processes to the CNS of the mollusc. In the CNS these processes divide into many clusters of branches. All protocerebral cells and the cluster of neurons of the commissural part of metacerebrum send their processes within the olfactory nerve towards the periphery. The axons of eye cells terminate in the enlargement of optic nerve near the eye; so do the CNS cells and neurons of the optic nerve. In the neuropile of pleural part of metacerebrum a region of ramification of cell axons of the visual pathway is found. Hair cells of statocyst send their axons within the static nerve to the cerebral ganglion (CG). Small cells of metacerebrum send their axons towards the statocyst. In the neuropile of ipsilateral CG some processes of statocyst pathway cells divide into many thin branches; others--cross to the contralateral cerebral neuropile via the commissure joining two CG. In the neuropile of contralateral ganglion these processes give off a spray of many branches just as in the ipsilateral ganglion. The axons of the visual pathway cells and statocyst pathway cells ramify in the same region.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Dendrite-like process formation and cytoskeletal remodeling regulated by delta-catenin expression.

Actin- and microtubule-mediated changes in cell shape are essential for many cellular activities. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between the two are complex and remain obscure. Here we show that the expression of delta-catenin (or NPRAP/Neurojungin), a member of p120(ctn) subfamily of armadillo proteins can induce the branching of dendrite-like processes in 3T3 cells and enhance dendritic morphogenesis in primary hippocampal neurons. This induction of branching phenotype involves initially the disruption of filamentous actin, and requires the growth of microtubules. The carboxyl-terminal truncation mutant of delta-catenin can cluster and redistribute the full-length protein, and dominantly inhibit its branching effect. delta-Catenin forms protein complexes and can bind directly to actin in vitro. The carboxyl-terminal truncation of delta-catenin does not interfere with its actin-binding capability; therefore the actin interaction alone is not sufficient for the induction of dendrite-like processes. When delta-catenin-transformed cells establish elaborate dendrite-like branches, the main cellular processes become stabilized and resist the disruption of both actin filaments and microtubules, as determined by fluorescent light microscopy and time-lapse recording analyses. We suggest that delta-catenin can effect a biphasic cytoskeletal remodeling event which differentially regulates actin and microtubules and promotes cellular morphogenesis.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1993

Gross anatomy of the canine portal vein.

The gross anatomy of the portal vein of 21 dogs was studied by venous portography, corrosion casting, and gross dissection. The portal vein in all specimens originated by confluence of the cranial and caudal mesenteric veins. Its large tributaries were the splenic and gastroduodenal veins, which entered the portal vein between its origin and the hepatic porta. At the hepatic porta, the portal vein divided into a short right branch and a larger left branch. The right branch ramified in the caudate process of the caudate lobe and in the right lateral lobe of the liver. The left branch was essentially the continuation of the portal vein from which successive branches passed to each of the remaining lobes of the liver and the papillary process of the caudate lobe.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphology of human retinal ganglion cells with intraretinal axon collaterals.

Ganglion cells with intraretinal axon collaterals have been described in monkey (Usai et al., 1991), cat (Dacey, 1985), and turtle (Gardiner & Dacey, 1988) retina. Using intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase and Neurobiotin in in vitro whole-mount preparations of human retina, we filled over 1000 ganglion cells, 19 of which had intraretinal axon collaterals and wide-field, spiny dendritic trees stratifying in the inner half of the inner plexiform layer. The axons were smooth and thin (approximately 2 microm) and gave off thin (<1 microm), bouton-studded terminal collaterals that extended vertically to terminate in the outer half of the inner plexiform layer. Terminal collaterals were typically 3-300 microm in length, though sometimes as long as 700 microm, and were present in clusters, or as single branched or unbranched varicose processes with round or somewhat flattened lobular terminal boutons 1-2 microm in diameter. Some cells had a single axon whereas other cells had a primary axon that gave rise to 2-4 axon branches. Axons were located either in the optic fiber layer or just beneath it in the ganglion cell layer, or near the border of the ganglion cell layer and the inner plexiform layer. This study shows that in the human retina, intraretinal axon collaterals are associated with a morphologically distinct ganglion cell type. The synaptic connections and functional role of these cells are not yet known. Since distinct ganglion cell types with intraretinal axon collaterals have also been found in monkey, cat, and turtle, this cell type may be common to all vertebrate retinas.

Axons↗
PubMed1992

Laminin selectively enhances axonal growth and accelerates the development of polarity by hippocampal neurons in culture.

We have examined the effects of laminin on the morphological development of embryonic rat hippocampal neurons maintained in tissue culture. Forty-eight hours after plating, neurons grown on a polylysine-coated substrate had become polarized, typically having one long axon and 4 or 5 minor processes. Adsorption of laminin to the substrate did not cause changes in the number of axons extended by hippocampal neurons but did cause significant increases in the length of the axonal plexus and in axonal branching. In contrast to its effects on axons, laminin did not influence the number, length, or branching of the minor processes that eventually become dendrites or the morphology of definite dendrites as assessed after 7 days in culture. In addition to selectively enhancing axonal growth, laminin greatly increased the rate of polarization of hippocampal neurons such that most became polarized within 18 h. Analysis of the time course of laminin's effects revealed that the acceleration of polarization was not associated with a change in the time of initial process formation, but rather with a selective stimulation of the growth of the longest process at all times from the 12th through the 48th h in vitro. These data suggest that even though the basic shape of hippocampal neurons may be intrinsically programmed, critical aspects of their morphological development may be modulated by extracellular matrix molecules such as laminin.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Projections of lamprey spinal neurons determined by the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase.

The spinal cords of larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) and adult river lampreys (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) were injected with horseradish peroxidase through a transection 1 cm caudal to the last gill. Some animals also had a spinal hemisection 1 cm caudal to the injection. After recovery periods of 1 to 52 days, the spinal cords were treated with diaminobenzidene and hydrogen peroxide, and the projections of various cell types determined in wholemount slides. From these observations the following conclusions were drawn. Most dorsal cells (primary sensory cells) are bipolar with a long rostral projection and a short caudal projection of no more than 5-10 mm. Both processes travel in the ipsilateral dorsal column. Their peripheral processes enter the dorsal roots as branches of their central axons. Some dorsal cells send processes out three or more dorsal roots both rostral and caudal to the cell body. Myotomal motoneurons have characteristic locations in the medial gray column and send prominent transversely oriented dendrites into the lateral columns. A few motoneurons are unusually large. In addition to giant interneurons the majority of smaller rostrally projecting interneurons also have decussating axons. A recently described cell type, the oblique bipolar cell, appears to have an exclusively crossed rostral projection. Although most edge cells project rostrally, as many as 20% may have a caudal projection or both rostral and caudal projections. Edge cells project equally to the ipsilateral and contralateral spinal hemicord, but their processes do not extend more than about 18 mm in sea lamprey larvae and 37 mm in adult river lampreys. Lateral cells project exclusively to the ipsilateral caudal hemicord. A few cells which resemble lateral cells in location and in possessing large lateral dendrites, project rostrally. However, these have atypical morphologic features which probably distinguish them from true lateral cells. Thus far, regardless of cell type, all decussating axons seem to pass ventral to the central canal, while decussating medial dendrites pass dorsally.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Barrelettes--architectonic vibrissal representations in the brainstem trigeminal complex of the mouse. II. Normal post-natal development.

Vibrissal representations in the brainstem trigeminal complex (BTC) of rodents are manifested as architectural sub-units called barrelettes. The development of barrelettes was studied by using Nissl staining, cytochrome oxidase histochemistry, and Golgi-impregnation methods. On the day of birth (PND-1), barrelettes are manifested as longitudinal, histochemical cylinders in sub-nuclei principalis, interpolaris and caudalis of the BTC. One day later (PND-2), fully formed histochemical barrelette formations are seen in the three sub-nuclei. The development of cytoarchitectural barrelettes lags behind histochemical barrelettes by about two days. Between PND-2 and PND-3, longitudinal cytoarchitectonic cylinders begin to appear. By PND-3, BTC neurons segregate into five rows of barrelettes in the coronal plane. Segmentation of rows into individual barrelettes begins on PND-4, and complete cytoarchitectonic barrelette formations are seen by PND-5. Golgi-impregnation shows that on the day of birth, primary afferent terminals and dendritic arbors of second-order trigeminal neurons within the BTC are short and poorly ramified. Over the next five post-natal days, lengthening of these processes as well as elaboration into secondary and tertiary branches take place. Growth of these processes continues for two additional weeks, contributing to the increase in barrelette neuropils (hollows). As the neuropils expand, neuronal somata are pushed toward barrelette sides. Morphometric measurements show that there is a relatively constant rate of growth of barrelettes over the first three post-natal weeks. The growth rate of the barrelette formations is identical to that of BTC as a whole. Thus, at the time of birth, the volume of neural tissue in the brainstem allotted to vibrissae is fixed relative to that allotted to other sensory receptors. Several features of the early development of barrelettes are identified: (1) Chemoarchitectural barrelettes appear before cytoarchitectural barrelettes, suggesting that terminal arbors of primary trigeminal afferents are organized before their target neurons form barrelettes. (2) Early cytoarchitecture is manifested in the form of unsegmented rows, suggesting that rough, row-based topological maps are first formed, which are then fine-tuned into individual sub-units. Recent evidence shows that other vibrissal representations--thalamic barreloids and cortical barrels--also follow these "afferent-before-target" and "row-before-individual units" sequences of development. This gradual, afferent-dependent fine-tuning of topological organization is analogous to similar events during the early development of the visual system, and may be a general feature of developing sensory systems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1994

Electrotonic clusters in the dendritic arborization of abducens motoneurons of the rat.

Following reconstruction with high spatial resolution of the 3-D geometry of the dendritic arborizations of two abducens motoneurons, we simulated the distribution of electronic voltage over the whole dendritic tree. Here, we demonstrate that the complex stochastic electronic structure of both motoneurons can be reduced to a statistically significant small set of well discriminated clusters. These clusters are formed by dendritic branches belonging to different dendrites of the neuron but with similar electronic properties. A cluster analysis was performed to estimate quantitatively the partition of the branches between the dendritic clusters. The contents of the clusters were analysed in relation to their stability under different values of specific membrane resistivity (Rm), to their remoteness from the soma and their location in 3-D space. The cluster analysis was executed in a 2-D parameter space in which each dendritic branch was described by the mean electrotonic voltage and gradient. The number of clusters was found to be four for each motoneuron when computations were made with Rm = 3 k omega.cm2. An analysis of the cluster composition under different Rm revealed that each cluster contained invariant and variant branches. Mapping the clusters upon the dendritic geometry of the arborizations allowed us to describe the cluster distribution in terms of the 3-D space domain, the 2-D path distance domain and the total surface area of the tree. As the cluster behaviour reflects both the geometry and the changes in the neuronal electrotonic structure, we conclude that cluster analysis provides a tool to handle the functional complexity of the arborizations without losing relevant information. In terms of synaptic activities, the stable dendritic branches in each cluster may process the synaptic inputs in a similar manner. The high percentage of stable branches indicates that geometry is a major factor of stability for the electrotonic clusters. Conversely, the variant branches introduce the conditions for mechanisms of functional postsynaptic plasticity.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed2002

The neuronal structure of the globus pallidus in the rabbit--Nissl and Golgi studies.

The studies were carried out on the telencephalons of 12 adult rabbits. Two types of neurons were distinguished: 1. Large neurons (perikarya 18-40 microm), which have from 2 to 6 thick, long primary dendrites. Their perikarya have a polygonal, triangular and fusiform shape. The large neurons in the centre of GP have radiated dendritic trees, whereas the dendritic field of the cells along the borders of GP has an elongated shape. The dendritic arbour is not homogeneous. The dendrites may be covered with spindle-shaped dendritic swellings, bead-like processes, not numerous spines or they may be smooth as well. The dendritic branches form thin, beaded dendritic processes, that arise from any part of the dendritic tree, as well as "complex terminal endings" which have various types of appendages on their terminal portions. An axon emerges from a thick conical elongation either from the cell body or one of the dendritic trunks. These neurons are the most numerous in the investigated material. 2. Small nerve cells have been infrequent in our material. Their cell bodies are rounded or polygonal. From the perikarya there arise 2-4 thin dendritic trunks, which may have irregular swellings and few spines. The dendrites spread out in all directions, making the dendritic field round or oval in shape. Generally most axons of the small cells have not been impregnated. However, a few of them have a thin axon with a conical elongation, which emerges from the cell body and bifurcates into beaded processes.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Pubertal mammary gland development: insights from mouse models.

During puberty the mammary gland develops from a rudimentary tree to a branched epithelial network of ducts which can support alveolar development and subsequent milk production during pregnancy and lactation. This process involves growth, proliferation, migration, branching, invasion, apoptosis and above all, tight regulation which allows these processes to take place simultaneously during the course of just a few weeks to create an adult gland. The process is under hormonal control and is thus coordinated with reproductive development. Mouse models, with overexpressed or knocked-out genes, have highlighted a number of pubertal mammary gland phenotypes and given significant insight into the regulatory mechanisms controlling this period of development. Here we review the published findings of the wide range of gene-manipulated mammary mouse models, documenting the common pubertal mammary gland phenotypes observed, and summarizing their contribution to our current understanding of how pubertal mammary gland development occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The role of neural activity in cortical axon branching.

Axonal branching is an important process for establishing the final pattern of connections between a neuron and its target cells. Cortical connections between upper-layer cells in the neocortex have provided insights into the cellular mechanisms by which electrical activity regulates neural connectivity, including branch formation. Recent evidence further indicates that spontaneous firing and synaptic transmission contribute to axonal branching of cortical neurons through postsynaptic activation.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1991

Interaction of ganglioside GM1 with the B subunit of cholera toxin modulates growth and differentiation of neuroblastoma N18 cells.

The present study uses the B subunit of cholera toxin, a protein that binds specifically to ganglioside GM1, to examine the role of endogenous GM1 in the process of growth and differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma N18 cells. Binding of the B subunit to neuroblastoma N18 cells inhibited DNA synthesis with concomitant induction of differentiation. The B subunit induced pronounced morphological changes: an increase in neurite outgrowth with branched neurites and spinelike processes. The distinct morphological alterations and neuritogenesis in response to the B subunit were also revealed by immunofluorescence with fluorescein-labeled B subunit. The mechanism of the B subunit-induced differentiation is different than that of spontaneous differentiation. Thrombin, a serine protease present in normal serum, inhibits neurite outgrowth induced by the removal of serum from the medium. In contrast, thrombin did not cause retraction of the neurites induced by the B subunit. Thus, thrombin or a thrombin-like protease is not involved in the process of neurite outgrowth mediated through endogenous GM1. The biological effects of the B subunit are due to the binding of the B subunit to ganglioside GM1 and not due to changes in cAMP levels resulting from contaminating A subunit. We used highly purified cloned B subunit that cannot contain any A subunit because it was isolated from a Vibrio cholerae mutant that only expresses the B subunit. Neither the cloned nor commercial preparations of the B subunit induced increases of cAMP in these cells. There was a good correlation between the amount of B subunit bound to the cells and the biological effect. Finally, treatment with neuraminidase, which caused a fourfold increase in the level of membrane GM1 as determined by iodinated cholera toxin binding, enhanced the biological effect of the B subunit. However, neuraminidase treatment alone did not have significant effects, either on DNA synthesis or on morphology of the cells, indicating that elevations in the level of GM1 per se are not sufficient by themselves to cause significant changes in cell growth or differentiation. It seems most likely that the aggregation of endogenous GM1 on the cell surface by the B subunit is responsible for these effects on mouse neuroblastoma N18 cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Expression of major histocompatibility complex and leukocyte common antigens in amoeboid microglia in postnatal rats.

The expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen and leukocyte common antigen (LCA) was observed in the amoeboid microglial cells in postnatal rat brain. Considerable MHC class I surface antigen was detected at the plasma membrane and its tubular invaginations in the amoeboid microglia in the corpus callosum using the monoclonal antibody OX-18. In early postnatal (2 and 5 day) rats, the OX-18 positive cells were mostly round but a few possessed stout processes. With increasing age (9 and 15 days) the OX-18 positive amoeboid microglia assumed an oval or elongated form. By the time of weaning (21 days) and in older animals, the immunoreactivity was extremely weak and was detectable only on some branched microglia bearing fine processes. The presence of MHC class Ia antigens with OX-3 and OX-6 was hardly detectable except for a few weakly stained cells in the corpus callosum and cavum septum pellucidum in early postnatal rats. The expression of LCA was observed in amoeboid microglial using the monoclonal antibody OX-1 and this followed a similar temporal pattern to that with OX-18. The additional phenotypic features of amoeboid microglial cells in the present study support their monocytic origin. These cells are endowed with MHC class I antigens which may serve as the restriction elements for T lymphocytes, at least in the early postnatal brain.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Review of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.

Chronic low back pain secondary to involvement of the facet joints is a common problem. Facet joints have been recognized as potential sources of back pain since 1911. Multiple authors have described distributions of pain patterns of facet joint pain. The facet joints are paired diarthrodial articulations between the posterior elements of the adjacent vertebrae. Lumbar facet joints are innervated by medial branches of the dorsal rami of the spinal nerves from the L1 to L4 levels. At L5, the dorsal ramus travels between the ala of the sacrum and its superior articular process and divides into medial and lateral branches at the caudal edge of the process. Each segmental medial branch of the dorsal ramus supplies at least two facet joints. The existence of lumbar facet joint pain claims has a preponderance of evidence, even though there are a few detractors. Multiple studies utilizing controlled diagnostic blocks have established the prevalence of lumbar facet joint involvement in patients with chronic low back pain, as ranging from 15% to 52%, based on type of population and setting studied. Long-term therapeutic benefit has been reported from three types of interventions in managing lumbar facet joint pain, including intraarticular injections, medial branch blocks and neurolysis of medial branches. This review will discuss chronic low back of facet joint origin and covers anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and various aspects related to treatment, including clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, technical aspects and complications.

Journal Article↗