Maintenance of host medullary nucleus gracilis neurons after C3 homografting of fetal spinal cord into host fasciculus gracilis.
The fasciculus gracilis (FG) of the third cervical spinal cord segment (C3) of adult rats was aspirated and fresh whole pieces of rat 14-day gestation cervical spinal cord, prelabeled with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin, immediately placed in the pocket of one-half the operates. One to three months later there were no transplant derived rostro-caudal nerve fibers in the C1 or C2 segment of the aspiration-only or aspiration-graft FG. However, the neurons of the nucleus gracilis of the host medulla of the aspiration-only group were significantly atrophied whereas the neurons of the aspiration-graft group were not statistically different from normal. There were normal numbers of neurons in all groups. Using immunohistochemical double labeling for prelabeled astrocytes with PHAL and GFAP, graft-derived astrocytes were found in the nucleus gracilis of the host medulla. These data indicate that the trophic action of spinal graft-derived astrocytes maintained neurons in the medulla of the host nucleus gracilis.
Bernstein
J J
JJ
Laboratory of Central Nervous System Injury and Regeneration, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422.
Goldberg
W J
WJ
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival; D006085:Graft Survival; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*