An immunoelectron microscopic study of methionine-enkephalin structures in cat prevertebral ganglia.
Methionine-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity was detected in presynaptic nerve fibers and SIF cells in cat prevertebral ganglia. The immunoreactive nerve fibers contained a mixture of numerous small clear vesicles and a few large vesicles; the immunoreactivity was only confined to the large vesicles. Most of the immunoreactive fibers were in apposition with non-immunoreactive neuronal profiles, without any detectable synaptic membrane specializations. The other immunoreactive fibers formed synaptic contacts mainly with non-immunostained dendrites and to a lesser extent with axons and neuronal soma. The characterization at the ultrastructural level of the enkephalin-like immunoreactive structures is discussed as regards the modalities whereby opiates may be involved in sympathetic ganglionic transmission.
Benfares
J
J
Département de Physiologie et Neurophysiologie, CNRS, URA. 1832, Faculté des Sciences de Saint-Jérôme, Marseille, France.
Henry
M
M
Cupo
A
A
Julé
Y
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002415:Cats / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013045:Species Specificity; D013569:Synapses / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine