Changes in nurse cell nuclei during synchronous infection with Trichinella spiralis.
The rate of enlargement of nuclei was determined on 4-microns-thick sections of synchronously infected mouse thigh muscle. Normal muscle nuclei had a geometric mean volume of 84 microns and a range of 42-170 microns 3. At days 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 and 6 mo after infection, mean nuclear volume was 177 (100-315) microns 3, 254 (140-462) microns 3, 278 (172-447) microns 3, 681 (407-1,138) microns 3, 512 (326-804) microns 3, and 509 (298-870) microns 3, respectively. Size of nuclei for any given day followed a log normal distribution. On days 7 and 8 after infection, 31% of enlarged nuclei had 2 nucleoli, whereas only 15% had 2 nucleoli on day 10. One percent of enlarged nuclei in 6-mo-old nurse cells had double nucleoli. The number of enlarged nuclei in 6-mo-old nurse cells was determined from serial sections of infected tongue muscle. Each nurse cell contained an average of 40 enlarged nuclei. Sixty-four percent of nurse cells examined (n = 55) had between 30 and 60 enlarged nuclei. However, there was great variation in the range (7-142). These results are discussed in relation to the development of the nurse cell.
Despommier
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D
Division of Tropical Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.
Symmans
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WF
Dell
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D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009132:Muscles / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014234:Trichinella / Q000502:physiology*; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000473:pathology*