Do the Purkinje cells have a special type of oligodendrocyte as satellites?
Two types of oligodendrocytes considered to be a constant feature in the cerebellar cortex of the rat are described. One cell type (I) exhibits rounded or elliptical nuclei, whereas the other type (II) presents more irregular nuclear and cellular contours and wider perinuclear cisternae. The latter cell type shows a more electron-dense cytoplasm with more heavily clumped heterochromatin, contrasting strongly with the euchromatin; also long and parallel cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum are more frequent. The percentages of both types of oligodendrocytes in relation to the total population of common glial cell types were calculated in the cortical layers and at several levels in these layers. The distribution of oligodendrocytes in the associated white matter was also carried out for purposes of comparison. The results provide evidence the the Purkinje cells may have a special kind of oligodendrocyte (Type II) as satellites.
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains