In vitro formation of neuroglial synapses.
Neuroglial synapses have been systematically observed in histotypical cerebellar rotary tissue cultures. These axoglial contacts appear as excitatory-like synapses in which the presynaptic element contains rounded synaptic vesicles accumulated at the presynaptic active zone. The post-synaptic structures were always the somata as well as processes of astrocytic glial cells. The axoglial contacts appear in these cultures when they are prepared from 16-day-old chick embryos cerebellum and cultivated during 6 days. To explain these neuroglial interrelationship it has been suggested as a working hypothesis that glial and nerve cells develop plastic capacities in order to establish synaptic contact in the in vitro conditions.
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D046508:Culture Techniques; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure