title: Densitometric measurement of two cellular parameters related to the secretory activity of the subcommissural organ.
abstract: The subcommissural organ (SCO) of vertebrates is located in the roof of the third brain ventricle, and secretes into this ventricle a glycoproteinaceous, fibre-like structure, the liquor fibre or Reissner's fibre. A method is described for the densitometric measurement by means of computer-controlled scanning cytophotometry of two cellular parameters directly related to the secretory activity of the subcommissural organ in European green frogs. These parameters are: i) the amount of stained secretory material in the SCO, and ii) the amount of secretory material in the SCO labelled by a radioactive precursor. It appears that scanning cytophotometry offers a fairly rapid, accurate, objective and reproducible method to measure these parameters in stained sections and in autoradiographs of the SCO if this histological material fulfils certain conditions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D003201:Computers; D003720:Densitometry / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000378:metabolism*; D011898:Ranidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013351:Subcommissural Organ / Q000378:metabolism*