Plastic casts and confocal laser scanning microscopy applied to the observation of enamel tubules in the red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus).
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.
Suzuki
Masatsugu
M
Laboratory of Wildlife Biology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, The Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan. mszk@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp
Ushijima
Natsumi
N
Kohno
Ayako
A
Sawa
Yoshihiko
Y
Yoshida
Shigemitsu
S
Sekikawa
Mitsuo
M
Ohtaishi
Noriyuki
N
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
D000180:Acrylic Resins