The use of whole-mount preparations of nerves labelled with axonally transported radioactive proteins to study regeneration.
A method for studying the process of regeneration in the frog sciatic nerve is presented. The outgrowth of sensory axons was determined by assaying the distribution of axonally transported radioactive proteins by fluorography of whole-mount nerve preparations. After labelling, the nerves were fixed at their in vivo lengths, impregnated with a fluorographic reagent and whole-mounted on a glass-slide before exposure to an X-ray film. In this way the rate of axon elongation after nerve crush lesions could be accurately determined. Nerve regeneration preceded by a conditioning lesion will be described. After the outgrowth has been measured the method enables subsequent analysis of, for instance, the protein composition in selected parts of the same nerve. The technique should be broadly applicable for studying nerve regeneration.
Edström
A
A
Sjöberg
J
J
Kanje
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007930:Leucine; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010779:Photofluorography; D011893:Rana esculenta; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D012588:Scintillation Counting
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D007930:Leucine