A procedure for small-volume brain grafting; vasopressin cells in neonatal and adult Brattleboro rats.
A simple and reliable technique is described for the transplantation of fetal vasopressin (VP) neurons in the third ventricle of the brain of homozygous Brattleboro neonates. Small-volume grafting is introduced by microdissection of paraventricular and supraoptic areas and by pelleting the minced tissue for insertion into the transplantation cannula. Morphological and immunocytochemical evaluation yielded results in both neonatal and adult host brain that were similar to those described for anterior hypothalamic grafts in adult Brattleboro brain. The present protocol circumvents some of the general problems encountered when the use of small grafts is imperative, and is also applicable to the implantation of pelleted cell suspensions.
D000818:Animals; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000378:metabolism; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000637:transplantation*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011910:Rats, Brattleboro; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013495:Supraoptic Nucleus / Q000637:transplantation*; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
D009481:Neurophysins; D014667:Vasopressins