Abstract
Nerve injury that severs axons also disrupts ensheathing glial cells. Specifically, crushing or cutting the leech nerve cord separates the glial cell's nucleated portion from an anucleate segment, or `stump'. In experiments reported here, the fate of the stump and the response of the nucleated portion were determined by intracellular recording, by intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow dye and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as tracers, and by electron microscopy. The nucleated portion of the glial cell did not divide, degenerate, or grow appreciably. The severed glial stump remained isolated from the nucleated portion but maintained its resting potential and normal morphology for months. Stumps typically began to deteriorate after 3 months. Small macrophage-like cells, or 'microglia' increased in number after injury and ensheathed axons, thus partially replacing the atrophying glial stump. Some axons in the nerve cord degenerated; the remainder appeared morphologically and physiologically normal. Thus, both nucleated and anucleate glial segments persisted throughout the one to two months required for axons to regenerate functional connections. Glial cells in the leech are therefore available to guide physically the growing axons or to contribute in other ways to nerve regeneration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 99-113 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Brain Research |
| Volume | 218 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 10 1981 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- glial segment survival
- leech nerve cord
- nerve regeneration
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Neurology
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Long-term survival of glial segments during nerve regeneration in the leech. / Elliot, Ellen J.; Muller, Kenneth J.
In: Brain Research, Vol. 218, No. 1-2, 10.08.1981, p. 99-113.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term survival of glial segments during nerve regeneration in the leech
AU - Elliot, Ellen J.
AU - Muller, Kenneth J
PY - 1981/8/10
Y1 - 1981/8/10
N2 - Nerve injury that severs axons also disrupts ensheathing glial cells. Specifically, crushing or cutting the leech nerve cord separates the glial cell's nucleated portion from an anucleate segment, or `stump'. In experiments reported here, the fate of the stump and the response of the nucleated portion were determined by intracellular recording, by intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow dye and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as tracers, and by electron microscopy. The nucleated portion of the glial cell did not divide, degenerate, or grow appreciably. The severed glial stump remained isolated from the nucleated portion but maintained its resting potential and normal morphology for months. Stumps typically began to deteriorate after 3 months. Small macrophage-like cells, or 'microglia' increased in number after injury and ensheathed axons, thus partially replacing the atrophying glial stump. Some axons in the nerve cord degenerated; the remainder appeared morphologically and physiologically normal. Thus, both nucleated and anucleate glial segments persisted throughout the one to two months required for axons to regenerate functional connections. Glial cells in the leech are therefore available to guide physically the growing axons or to contribute in other ways to nerve regeneration.
AB - Nerve injury that severs axons also disrupts ensheathing glial cells. Specifically, crushing or cutting the leech nerve cord separates the glial cell's nucleated portion from an anucleate segment, or `stump'. In experiments reported here, the fate of the stump and the response of the nucleated portion were determined by intracellular recording, by intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow dye and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as tracers, and by electron microscopy. The nucleated portion of the glial cell did not divide, degenerate, or grow appreciably. The severed glial stump remained isolated from the nucleated portion but maintained its resting potential and normal morphology for months. Stumps typically began to deteriorate after 3 months. Small macrophage-like cells, or 'microglia' increased in number after injury and ensheathed axons, thus partially replacing the atrophying glial stump. Some axons in the nerve cord degenerated; the remainder appeared morphologically and physiologically normal. Thus, both nucleated and anucleate glial segments persisted throughout the one to two months required for axons to regenerate functional connections. Glial cells in the leech are therefore available to guide physically the growing axons or to contribute in other ways to nerve regeneration.
KW - glial segment survival
KW - leech nerve cord
KW - nerve regeneration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0019411033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0019411033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90991-4
DO - 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90991-4
M3 - Article
VL - 218
SP - 99
EP - 113
JO - Brain Research
JF - Brain Research
SN - 0006-8993
IS - 1-2
ER -