Archives of histology and cytology最新文献

The airway epithelium is exposed to an acidic environment in certain conditions. The acid-sensing ion channel 2 (ASIC2) belongs to the epithelial amiloride-sensitive sodium channel and degenerin (ENaC/DEG) family and is expressed on cilia of the respiratory epithelium. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of ASIC2 in the nasal septum in the embryonic stage of the rat. ASIC2 expression was not observed in the primary cilium but was found in some cilia on embryonic day 17 (E17). After E18, all cilia showed ASIC2 immunoreactivity. RT-PCR analysis revealed that ASIC2b, a subtype of ASIC2, was expressed in the nasal septum while ASIC2a was not. Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR studies indicated that the expression level of ASIC2 mRNA was highest on E21, just before birth. These results imply that ASIC2 plays little part in the development of the nasal septum epithelium. On the other hand, ASIC2, especially ASIC2b, may function for the survival and retention of ciliated cells of the nasal septum against dynamic changes in the pH environment at birth.

Mice are common models for the study of mammalian wound healing. However, the array of available phenotypes suggests that significant differences likely exist in the normal wound healing response between different mouse strains. It is therefore essential to understand the normal healing response for each mouse strain, anatomic site, and mechanism of injury when investigating the potential effects of therapeutic interventions upon the healing response. The objective of the present study was to characterize and compare the morphologic changes that occur in both the MRL/MpJ and C57bl/6 mice strains during the first 14 days following amputation at the midpoint of the second phalanx. Our results identify noticeable temporal and spatial differences between the two strains, particularly in the expression of CD34+ and CD133+ progenitor cells, the re-epithelialization of the wound and deposition of type I and type III collagen. Unlike other selected tissues in which MRL/MpJ mice demonstrate a capacity to completely regenerate lost tissue, the responses observed in this model of digit healing did not translate into a greater capacity to regenerate lost structures. Both mouse strains show a similar healing response by day 14.

Immune cell trafficking in the secondary lymphoid organs is crucial for an effective immune response. Recirculating T cells constantly patrol not only secondary lymphoid organs but also the whole peripheral organs. Thoracic duct lymphocytes represent an ideal cell source for analyzing T cell trafficking: high endothelial venules (HEVs) allow recirculating lymphocytes to transmigrate from the blood directly, and recirculating T cells form a cluster with dendritic cells (DCs) to survey antigen invasions even in a steady state. This cluster becomes an actual site for the antigen presentation when DCs have captured antigens. On activation, effector and memory T cells differentiate into several subsets that have different trafficking molecules and patterns. DCs also migrate actively in a manner depending upon their maturational stages. Danger signals induce the recruitment of several DC precursor subsets with different trafficking patterns and functions. In this review, we describe general and specialized structures of the secondary lymphoid organs for the trafficking of T cells and DCs by a multicolor immunoenzyme staining technique. The lymph nodes, spleen, and Peyer's patches of rats were selected as the major representatives. In vivo trafficking of subsets of T cells and DCs within these organs under steady or emergency states are shown and discussed, and unsolved questions and future prospects are also considered.

Using immunohistochemical methods, we investigated microglial profiles under normothermic ischemia and hypothermic ischemia using an anti-ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1) antibody. In the early stages of ischemia-reperfusion, Iba-1-immunoreactive microglial cells under normothermic ischemia were characterized by swollen somata with short and thick processes, while fine long-branched processes in greater numbers were seen emanating from microglial somata under hypothermic ischemia. In animals subjected to hypothermic ischemia, immunoreactive microglial areas in the hippocampal CA1 sector were significantly increased after 5 and 8 h of reperfusion when compared with those under normothermic ischemia. In the dentate gyrus, an increase in the microglial area under hypothermic ischemia was already evident at 2 h after reperfusion; this increased level was maintained up to 8 h. Considering the various neuroprotective roles of hypothermic ischemia, the characteristic features of microglia under hypothermic ischemia may be associated with the formation of a neuroprotective environment.

Neurocan is a central nervous tissue-specific chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan of the lectican family. Mainly expressed during modeling and remodeling stages of this tissue, it is thought to play an important role via binding to various extracellular matrix and cellular components. In adults, neurocan expression is associated with the perineuronal net structures. This study shows the neurocan immunolocalization at the node of Ranvier in mouse central nervous tissues. The N-terminal fragment of neurocan (Ncan130) was the predominant form detected in the optic nerve. The expression of neurocan in the white matter of brain tissue and nerve tracts revealed differential expression profiles compared with those of versican V2 and brevican, other perinodal extracellular matrix molecules. Double immunolabeling for neurocan and a nodal marker, Bral1, or a paranodal marker, caspr, demonstrated that neurocan was localized at the node of Ranvier. Neurocan expression was found at many--not all--nodal regions, and neurocan-positive nodes outnumbered brevican-positive nodes. The nodal localization of neurocan was diminished in Bral1-deficient mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that neurocan contributes to the molecular heterogeneity of the perinodal matrix, and its nodal expression is dependent on Bral1.

A need for identifying ganglioside-positive cells with neuronal markers prompted us to establish a reliable method for double or triple immunostaining nervous tissues. Perfusion fixation with paraformaldehyde is typically performed for the routine immunostaining of various neuronal markers but is not suitable for immunostaining gangliosides. Acetone fixation of fresh cryosections is frequently used for ganglioside immunodetection; thus, we tested the effect of acetone treatment for unmasking the antigen epitope of gangliosides (acetone etching) on sections of paraformaldehyde-fixed nervous tissue from rats. Acetone etching significantly retrieved ganglioside immunoreactivity while preserving the immunoreactivity of neuronal markers. Various combinations of gangliosides and neuronal markers could be double-stained by the immunoenzyme method or triple-stained by the immunofluorescence method. This new method may provide additional information regarding the relationship between gangliosides and various neuronal markers from routinely paraformaldehyde-fixed nervous tissues, both freshly prepared specimens and those stocked in the laboratory.

In the gastrointestinal musculature, interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) distribute and regulate the gastrointestinal motility. Another type of mesenchymal cell, known as the fibroblast-like cell (FLC), has also been reported to be juxtaposed to the ICC. In this study, we examined the immunohistochemical properties of FLC in the murine gastrointestinal musculature using antibodies to small conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel 3 (SK3), platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha), and CD34. SK3-immunopositive (SK3-ip) cells were observed in the musculature throughout the gastrointestinal tract. These SK3-ip cells were distinct from the ICC that were identified by c-Kit immunoreactivity. In the muscular layers, SK3-ip cells were bipolar in shape and were associated with the intramuscular ICC and nerve fiber bundles. In the myenteric layer multipolar-shaped SK3-ip cells encompassed the myenteric ganglia. SK3-ip cells in the subserosal plane formed a cellular network with their ramified processes. The distribution pattern of the SK3-ip cells in the ICC-deficient W(v)/W(v) mutant mice was similar to that in normal mice. We also demonstrated that SK3-ip cells showed the intense PDGFRalpha immunoreactivity that was previously examined in FLC. However, CD34 immunoreactivity, one of the markers of human FLC, was not observed in SK3-ip cells with the exception of subserosal FLC. Thus, our observations indicate that SK3- and PDGFRalpha-double immunopositive cells are FLC in the murine gastrointestinal musculature and behave as a basic cellular element throughout the gastrointestinal musculature.

The effects of transplanted embryonic spinal tissue on host motor nerve regeneration and target muscle reinervation were investigated in severed sciatic nerves of rats. The electromyogram (EMG) responses and number of motor end plates (MEP) in target muscles, number of nerve axons, and retrogradely labeled motor neurons were examined in transplantation-, anastomosis without transplantation-, and naïve groups of the animals. The EMG patterns of the transplantation group returned to nearly normal at the 8th week, but those of the anastomosis group did not. MEP counts in the transplantation group were significantly higher than in the anastomosis group. The myelinated axon counts and myelin sheath thickness in the transplantation group were significantly higher than those in the anastomosis group. The number of retrogradely labeled motor neurons was significantly higher in the transplantation group. We conclude that transplanted embryonic spinal tissue can promote both host motor nerve regeneration and target muscle reinnervation.

Nitric oxide (NO) has various roles in the skeletal musculature in both normal and pathological conditions. NO primarily activates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) and mediates subsequent intracellular signaling in target cells. We sought to identify the target cells of NO in the rat skeletal musculature, using subtypes of sGCalpha1 and sGCbeta1 antibodies. Immunohistochemistry revealed that both antibodies stained the same cells with round or oval shapes, having several long processes. The sGC-immunopositive cells co-expressed NG2 chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, a marker of pericytes. The sGC-immunopositive cells were associated with capillaries and formed cellular networks with elongated cytoplasmic processes. sGCalpha1 and sGCbeta1 were not found in muscle sarcolemma that were stained by anti-dystrophin, or neuromuscular junctions, as detected by anti-synaptophysin. Based on these findings, we concluded that sGC immunoreactivity was specifically distributed in capillary pericytes. Pericytes in the skeletal musculature have been shown to be target cells of NO and are involved in the microvascular blood flow.

The present study introduces a novel method for the direct observation of histological paraffin sections by low vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) with platinum blue (Pt-blue) treatment. Pt-blue was applied not only as a backscattered electron (BSE) signal enhancer but also as a histologically specific stain. In this method, paraffin sections of the rat tongue prepared for conventional light microscopy (LM) were stained on glass slides with a Pt-blue staining solution (pH 9) and observed in a LVSEM using BSE detector. Under LVSEM, overviews of whole sections as well as three-dimensional detailed observations of individual cells and tissues could be easily made at magnifications from x40 to x10,000. Each kind of cell and tissue observed in the section could be clearly distinguished due to the different yields of BSE signals, which depended on the surface structures and different affinities to Pt-blue. Thus, we roughly classified cellular and tissue components into three groups according to the staining intensity of Pt-blue observed by LM and LVSEM: 1) a strongly stained (deep blue by LM and brightest by LVSEM) group which included epithelial tissue, endothelium and mast cells; 2) a moderately stained (light blue and bright) group which included muscular tissue and nervous tissue; 3) an unstained or weakly stained (colorless and dark) group which included elastic fibers and collagen fibers. We expect that this method will prove useful for the three-dimensional direct observation of histological paraffin sections of various tissues by LVSEM with higher resolutions than LM.