Biomaterial Database

Quantitative ultrastructural study of boutons of ascending afferents to the feline lateral cervical nucleus. 1987

B A Svensson, and S Griph, and J Rastad, and J Westman

Department of Anatomy, Uppsala University, Sweden.

A quantitative ultrastructural study has been performed of 300 labelled and the same number of unlabelled boutons in the feline lateral cervical nucleus (LCN) of 5 adult cats after cervical or lumbar injections of lectin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase and histochemical reaction with tetramethylbenzidine. On an average the labelled boutons were slightly elongated, had areas of 2.25 micron 2, mitochondrial volume fractions of 11.2% and densities of synaptic vesicles of 35.4.micron-2. The synaptic vesicles were round to flattened with a mean length of 60 nm and length/width ratios of 1.21. The labelled boutons were significantly larger and had significantly lower densities of synaptic vesicles than the unlabelled boutons. The labelled boutons constituted about 14% of the bouton volume of the investigated areas of the LCN. Most of them were axo-dendritic and about 16% synapsed with cell bodies with ultrastructural characteristics similar to the cervico-thalamic projection neurones of the LCN. The number of boutons labelled after the injections comprising 3-5 adjacent segments of the spinal cord was calculated to 6.8 X 10(6). Based on the assumption that they represented terminals of spinocervical tract cells, it was calculated that each of these cells in the lumbar cord gives rise to an average of 4400 boutons in the LCN.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
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
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D006735	Horseradish Peroxidase	An enzyme isolated from horseradish which is able to act as an antigen. It is frequently used as a histochemical tracer for light and electron microscopy. Its antigenicity has permitted its use as a combined antigen and marker in experimental immunology.	Alpha-Peroxidase,Ferrihorseradish Peroxidase,Horseradish Peroxidase II,Horseradish Peroxidase III,Alpha Peroxidase,II, Horseradish Peroxidase,III, Horseradish Peroxidase,Peroxidase II, Horseradish,Peroxidase III, Horseradish,Peroxidase, Ferrihorseradish,Peroxidase, Horseradish
D000344	Afferent Pathways	Nerve structures through which impulses are conducted from a peripheral part toward a nerve center.	Afferent Pathway,Pathway, Afferent,Pathways, Afferent
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013116	Spinal Cord	A cylindrical column of tissue that lies within the vertebral canal. It is composed of WHITE MATTER and GRAY MATTER.	Coccygeal Cord,Conus Medullaris,Conus Terminalis,Lumbar Cord,Medulla Spinalis,Myelon,Sacral Cord,Thoracic Cord,Coccygeal Cords,Conus Medullari,Conus Terminali,Cord, Coccygeal,Cord, Lumbar,Cord, Sacral,Cord, Spinal,Cord, Thoracic,Cords, Coccygeal,Cords, Lumbar,Cords, Sacral,Cords, Spinal,Cords, Thoracic,Lumbar Cords,Medulla Spinali,Medullari, Conus,Medullaris, Conus,Myelons,Sacral Cords,Spinal Cords,Spinali, Medulla,Spinalis, Medulla,Terminali, Conus,Terminalis, Conus,Thoracic Cords
D013572	Synaptic Vesicles	Membrane-bound compartments which contain transmitter molecules. Synaptic vesicles are concentrated at presynaptic terminals. They actively sequester transmitter molecules from the cytoplasm. In at least some synapses, transmitter release occurs by fusion of these vesicles with the presynaptic membrane, followed by exocytosis of their contents.	Synaptic Vesicle,Vesicle, Synaptic,Vesicles, Synaptic
D014909	Wheat Germ Agglutinins	Lectins purified from the germinating seeds of common wheat (Triticum vulgare); these bind to certain carbohydrate moieties on cell surface glycoproteins and are used to identify certain cell populations and inhibit or promote some immunological or physiological activities. There are at least two isoforms of this lectin.	Agglutinins, Wheat Germ,Lectins, Triticum Vulgare,Lectins, Wheat Germ,Triticum Vulgare Lectin,Triticum Vulgare Lectins,Wheat Germ Agglutinin,Wheat Germ Lectin,Wheat Germ Lectins,Wheat Germ Agglutinin Isolectin 1,Wheat Germ Agglutinin Isolectin 2,Agglutinin, Wheat Germ,Germ Agglutinin, Wheat,Germ Lectin, Wheat,Lectin, Triticum Vulgare,Lectin, Wheat Germ,Vulgare Lectin, Triticum
D018998	Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate	The lectin wheatgerm agglutinin conjugated to the enzyme HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE. It is widely used for tracing neural pathways.	WGA-HRP,Wheat Germ Agglutinin Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate