title: Plastic casts and confocal laser scanning microscopy applied to the observation of enamel tubules in the red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus).
abstract: Scanning electron microscopy for plastic casts and confocal laser scanning microscopy for Villanueva bone-stained ground sections were used together to observe enamel tubules in red kangaroo molars. Although the tubular structures such as terminals, bends, expansions, splits, divergences and rejoinings in this species were within the variations of marsupial species, their morphological characteristics were demonstrated with extremely clear and persuasive images. Thus, the combined observations of plastic casts by scanning electron microscopy and Villanueva bone-stain sections by confocal laser scanning microscopy were found to be of value for the investigation of enamel tubules and tubular structures in other hard tissues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, The Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan. mszk@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Natsumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ushijima
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Shigemitsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekikawa
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohtaishi
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000818:Animals; D016319:Corrosion Casting; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003804:Dentin / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007614:Macropodidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins