Long term survival of enucleated segments of glial cytoplasm in the leech Macrobdella decora.
Enucleated cytoplasmic segments of the giant connective glial cell (GCGC) survive morphologically intact for at least 10 weeks in the leech Macrobdella decora. Enucleated GCGC segments isolated from regenerating nerve axons show some degenerative changes after 4 weeks compared to GCGC segments which surround intact or regenerating nerve axons. Survival of GCGC cytoplasm is associated with an increase in the number of microglia. Relatively few (10-30%) nerve axons degenerate after severance from their cell body.
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D007865:Leeches / Q000166:cytology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*