Quantitative studies of nuclear bodies in astrocytes of chicken spinal cord following axotomy.
The present study was designed to reveal whether astrocytic activation following axotomy causes a numerical increase of nuclear bodies (NBs) in chicken astrocytes. Astrocytes in the spinal cord were activated by a unilateral spinal nerve transection. The frequency of NBs was calculated at the lateral motor columns of the normal group and at the ipsi- and contralateral sides of operated group. In the growing chickens, NBs of each astrocyte were a few and decreased steadily in number with age. In the operated chickens, the frequency of NBs elevated temporarily both in the ipsi- and contralateral sides, and reached its maximum value by 30 post-operative days. The frequency of NBs increased more prominently in the operated side than in the unoperated side. Thus, the present study provides the first evidence for a significant increase in the number of NBs in the hyperactive astrocytes caused by axotomy.
Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Japan.
M
M
Uehara
T
T
Imagawa
H
H
Kitagawa
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D019771:Axotomy; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002645:Chickens; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013997:Time Factors