title: Morphological details of primate axons and dendrites revealed by extracellular injection of biocytin: an economic and reliable alternative to PHA-L.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine if biocytin would reliably label details of distant axons and dendrites when injected extracellularly in primates. Biocytin (2.5-5%) was injected iontophoretically or by pressure into several areas of the visual and somatosensory systems of macaque monkeys, squirrel monkeys, tree shrews and galagos. After survival times that ranged from 9 h to 2 weeks, fine details of anterogradely filled axons and/or retrogradely filled dendrites were reliably revealed with an avidin-biotin-HRP complex (ABC solution) that was enhanced with heavy metals. Biocytin labeling was successfully combined with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) or cytochrome oxidase (CO) histochemistry to reveal double-labeled cells. Our results show that biocytin is a versatile, easy-to-use label that completely fills cell processes both anterogradely and retrogradely in several primate species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-2175.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Lachica
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mavity-Hudson
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Casagrande
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000032:analysis; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D005701:Galago; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007478:Iontophoresis; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D012453:Saimiri; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014417:Tupaia; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins; C100156:leukoagglutinins, plants; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; C013411:biocytin; D008239:Lysine