title: Glial cells with differential neurite growth-modulating properties probed by atomic force microscopy.
abstract: Lateral (L) and medial (M) midbrain astrocytes differ in their ability to support neuritic growth (L, permissive; M, non-permissive) with properties of M glia depending on heparan sulfate (HS). Here we show by atomic force microscopy that the surfaces of formaldehyde-fixed astrocytes differ by conspicuous 250 nm protrusions in L and by a HS-dependent fibrillar network in M glia, thus, demonstrating correlations between cell surface morphology and functional properties.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS B1.G-Cidade Universitaria, 21949-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. gweissmu@chagas.biof.ufrj.br
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weissmüller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Abreu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mascarello Bisch
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moura Neto
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology*; D009454:Neurofibrils / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006497:Heparan Sulfate