Collagen-associated sulphated proteoglycans. Ultrastructure after formaldehyde-cetylpyridinium chloride fixation.
In the course of an ultrastructural cytochemical study of intracellular sulphated proteoglycans involving the addition of cetylpyridinium chloride in the primary aldehyde fixative, a remarkable ultrastructural preservation of the collagen-associated sulphated proteoglycans was observed. Together with the preservation of their localization among the collagen fibrils (with, for some of them, a 50 nm periodic association with d-bands) and of their native elongated shape, previously observed under similar technical conditions, these stick-shaped and chondroitinase ABC-sensitive proteoglycans exhibited a typical pattern with several dense longitudinal parallel tracks (periodicity: 3-4 nm) not described as yet. Readily observable without high iron diamine-staining, the morphology of these cetylpyridinium chloride-precipitated and collagen-associated polyanions was particularly enhanced after incubation in the diamine solution which ascertained their sulphate content. Such a common ultrastructural organization with parallel tracks for both intracellular (i.e., in eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cells and Kurloff cells) and extracellular CPC-precipitated sulphated proteoglycans could correspond to intrinsic properties of the complexed molecules and could be related to 'double track' proteoglycans observed under other technical conditions in basement membranes.
Landemore
G
G
Laboratoire d'Histologie, UFR de Médecine, Université de Caen, France.
Quillec
M
M
Oulhaj
N
N
Izard
J
J
D000818:Animals; D002594:Cetylpyridinium; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005295:Ferrocyanides; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D009993:Osmium Tetroxide; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013455:Sulfur / Q000032:analysis
D005295:Ferrocyanides; D005404:Fixatives; D011509:Proteoglycans; D005557:Formaldehyde; D013455:Sulfur; D003094:Collagen; D002594:Cetylpyridinium; C031835:potassium ferrocyanide; D009993:Osmium Tetroxide