Biomaterial Database

Ultrastructural observations of cytoplasmic inclusions in Tay-Sachs lymphocytes. 1976

S M Noonan, and L Weiss, and J M Riddle

Our preliminary study on the circulating leukocytes from two children with Tay-Sachs disease and six heterozygotes from four different families is reported at the levels of both light and transmission electron microscopy. Ultrastructural investigation revealed two types of cytoplasmic inclusions in the lymphocytes of the Tay-Sachs homozygotes. The heterozygotes demonstrated only one of the inclusion forms within the cytoplasm of their circulating lymphocytes. These fine structural observations have not been described previously in Tay-Sachs disease and they may suggest new functional implications for the involvement of the lymphocyte in this storage disorder.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D008064	Lipidoses	Conditions characterized by abnormal lipid deposition due to disturbance in lipid metabolism, such as hereditary diseases involving lysosomal enzymes required for lipid breakdown. They are classified either by the enzyme defect or by the type of lipid involved.	Lipidosis,Lipoidosis
D008214	Lymphocytes	White blood cells formed in the body's lymphoid tissue. The nucleus is round or ovoid with coarse, irregularly clumped chromatin while the cytoplasm is typically pale blue with azurophilic (if any) granules. Most lymphocytes can be classified as either T or B (with subpopulations of each), or NATURAL KILLER CELLS.	Lymphoid Cells,Cell, Lymphoid,Cells, Lymphoid,Lymphocyte,Lymphoid Cell
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D002479	Inclusion Bodies	A generic term for any circumscribed mass of foreign (e.g., lead or viruses) or metabolically inactive materials (e.g., ceroid or MALLORY BODIES), within the cytoplasm or nucleus of a cell. Inclusion bodies are in cells infected with certain filtrable viruses, observed especially in nerve, epithelial, or endothelial cells. (Stedman, 25th ed)	Cellular Inclusions,Cytoplasmic Inclusions,Bodies, Inclusion,Body, Inclusion,Cellular Inclusion,Cytoplasmic Inclusion,Inclusion Body,Inclusion, Cellular,Inclusion, Cytoplasmic,Inclusions, Cellular,Inclusions, Cytoplasmic
D005260	Female		Females
D006579	Heterozygote	An individual having different alleles at one or more loci regarding a specific character.	Carriers, Genetic,Genetic Carriers,Carrier, Genetic,Genetic Carrier,Heterozygotes
D006651	Histocytochemistry	Study of intracellular distribution of chemicals, reaction sites, enzymes, etc., by means of staining reactions, radioactive isotope uptake, selective metal distribution in electron microscopy, or other methods.	Cytochemistry
D006720	Homozygote	An individual in which both alleles at a given locus are identical.	Homozygotes
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man