The use of lectin transport in the mouse central nervous system as an anterograde axonal marker for electron microscopy.
Lesion-induced axonal degeneration and autoradiography-electron microscopy have been the only reliable anterograde axonal markers available for electron microscopic examination of neuronal circuitry. However, these methods have their limitations. Recently, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) has been used as an anterograde axonal marker for light microscopy. This report describes the use of this lectin as an anterograde marker for electron microscopy. PHA-L was injected into mouse SmI cortex or ventrobasal thalamus. Using standard immunohistochemical techniques, the transported lectin was tagged with antibody, which was then visualized with avidin-biotin-horseradish peroxidase binding. Light microscopy demonstrated anterograde transport to predicted cortical regions. With the electron microscope, labeled axon terminals were seen forming asymmetric synapses with spines, dendrites and cell bodies.
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001692:Biological Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
D010835:Phytohemagglutinins