scholarly journals A MORPHOLOGIC AND CYTOCHEMICAL STUDY ON THE GREAT ALVEOLAR CELL

1966 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 884-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
SERGEI P. SOROKIN

Lungs from marsupials, bats and rodents were studied by light and electron microscopy. In all three groups, the great alveolar cells exhibit similar morphologic and cytochemical characteristics. Cytoplasmic vacuoles seen in these cells by light microscopy correspond to cytosomes that are demonstrable in them by electron microscopy. Such cytosomes are osmiophilic, periodic acid-Schiff-positive and stainable with Sudan black after acetone extraction. After fixation in a mixture of aldehydes, followed by extraction in chloroform-methanol and postfixation in osmium tetroxide, cytosomes lose their osmiophilia. The cytoplasm of the great alveolar cell is notable for a loosely ordered granular endoplasmic reticulum, an extensive Golgi apparatus and numerous multivesicular bodies. Many forms transitional in appearance between multivesicular bodies and cytosomes are present. In these, osmiophilic matter occupies the intervesicular space. It is proposed that these bodies are the precursors of cytosomes. The cytosomes are interpreted to be products of the "lysosomal" system in this cell. Ultimately they are secreted onto the alveolar surface.

Author(s):  
S. Yamashiro ◽  
D. Wilson ◽  
J. St. George ◽  
D. Hyde ◽  
C. Plopper ◽  
...  

In the past, ozone inhalation studies have focused on the lower airways and lung parenchyma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of ozone on submucosal glands of upper airways. Six adult male bonnet monkeys were exposed to 0.64 ppm ozone continuously for 7 days, and three were exposed to chamber conditions without ozone. The animals were exsanguinated under barbiturate anesthesia. The trachea and lung were fixed by airway infusion of Karnovsky's fixative, which was adjusted to pH 7.4 and 440 milliOsmols. Sagittal sections of ventral trachea were embedded in glycol methacrylate and Araldite 502 for light and electron microscopy. One micrometer methacrylate sections were stained with Alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff (AB/PAS). Selected areas of Araldite-embedded tissue were sectioned for transmission electron microscopy, stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined with a Zeiss EM 10. Volume percentages of the lumen, granular and nongranular regions of fhe gland and the duct wall, respectively, were estimated by stereologic methods on AB/PAS stained sections.


Author(s):  
B. Giammara ◽  
T. Romaine ◽  
W. Ambrose ◽  
J. Hanker

Many variations of the periodic acid-Schiff(PAS) reaction have been utilized for electron microscopy based on the Gomori periodic acid-silver methenamine reaction (1) or the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-osmium tetroxide(PATCO) reaction (2,3). These reactions are widely employed and have been very useful for the demonstration of one or more biomacromolecules or structures such as glycogen, basement membranes, reticular fibers or lipopolysaccharide. However, these reactions have various drawbacks such as complexity of methodology, ability to stain only a limited number of these components, or lack of adaptability for both light and electron microscopy. Our newly devised PATS reaction is relatively easy to perform. A full description of the details must await the outcome of a pending patent application. It consists essentially of a stepwise treatment of the sample with periodic acid, thiocarbohydrazide(TCH) and silver methenamine.


Author(s):  
B. Giammara ◽  
E.J. Burkes ◽  
R. Scruggs ◽  
G. Greco ◽  
P. Yates ◽  
...  

In a recent study of 400 subgingival plaque samples from over 110 adult periodontitis patients, spirochetes were the overwhelming microbial type, averaging about 45% of the microbial count. This finding supports earlier arguments that spirochetes are pathognomonic in periodontal disease. Other studies had shown clear-cut differences in the microbial composition of healthy and diseased subgingival sites — the proportion of spirochetes being significantly higher in the latter. Another study indicated that periodontal deterioration at these sites could be predicted better by increased proportions of motile rods and spirochetes than by clinical measurements. However, spirochetes of all sizes and species do not show the same degree of association with periodontal breakdown. Moreover, spirochetes are usually difficult to culture and stain; they are generally monitored by darkfield or phase contrast microscopy.The PATS reaction, a modified periodic acid-Schiff(PAS) reaction which deposits silver for light and electron microscopy appears to stain Gram(-) bacteria positively as well as neutrophils and activated macrophages. When studying the stained Gram(-) bacteria on coverslip smears of subgingival plaque or crevicular fluid samples of patients by light microscopy, varying numbers of intensely stained spirochetes of different sizes were observed (Figs. 1,2). More spirochetes were usually seen in samples from diseased sites. After drying replicate PATS-stained coverslips with hexamethyldisilazane they were sputter coated with gold, and. then examined by the SEI and BEI modes of scanning electron microscopy (Figs. 3-6). A permanent record of the proportions of large, medium and small spirochetes at each site could thus be obtained. Generally, greater numbers of gram negative bacteria including some spirochetes were stained in samples from diseased sites. At some sites, however, spirochetes were the predominant microbes in both crevicular fluid and subgingival plaque (Fig. 1).


1969 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G. Langreth

Spermiogenesis in Cancer crabs was studied by light and electron microscopy. The sperm are aflagellate, and when mature consist primarily of a spherical acrosome surrounded by the nucleus with its short radiating arms. The acrosome forms by a coalescence of periodic acid-Schiff-positive (PAS-positive) vesicles. During spermiogenesis one edge of the acrosomal vesicle invaginates to form a PAS-negative central core. The inner region of the acrosome bounding the core contains basic proteins which are not complexed to nucleic acid. The formation of an elaborate lattice-like complex of fused membranes, principally from membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, is described. These membranes are later taken into the nucleus and subsequently degenerate. In late spermatids, when most of the cytoplasm is sloughed, the nuclear envelope and the cell membrane apparently fuse to become the limiting boundary over most of the sperm cell. In the mature sperm the chromatin of the nucleus and arms, which is Feulgen-positive, contains no detectable protein. The chromatin filaments appear clumped, branched, and anastomosed; morphologically, they resemble the DNA of bacterial nuclei. Mitochondria are absent or degenerate in mature sperm of Cancer crabs, but the centrioles persist in the nucleoplasm at the base of the acrosome.


1977 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Mori ◽  
A B Novikoff

Rat hepatocytes, normally not highly pinocytic cells, becomes so after partial hepatectomy when about two-thirds of the liver is removed. Droplets, up to 20 mum in diameter, develop, initially by addition to smaller pinocytic structures and later by fusion with lysosomes. The droplets contain a material with an electron microscope periodicity characteristic of fibrin; they are periodic acid Schiff-positive as is plasma. It is therefore reasonable to consider plasma glycoproteins to be major components of the droplets. The droplets are at all times membrane delimited, an observation possible only after perfusion fixation. The droplets are positive for three lysosomal hydrolases identified cytochemically: acid phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, and beta-glucuronidase. From light and electron microscopy it is evident that these activities are acquired by fusion with lysosomes, mostly autophagic vacuoles and residual bodies both of which become very numerous after partial hepatectomy. Pinocytic structures are seen relatively infrequently in the hepatocytes of normal rats but a great many are present after partial hepatectomy. They are most easily observed if horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is intravenously injected before sacrifice and sections are incubated for HRP cytochemistry. The low dose of HRP employed (10 mg/100 g body weight) does not induce pinocytosis in controls, either untreated rats or rats subjected to laparotomy, including palpation of the liver. However, in partially hepatectomized rats even a much smaller dose of intravenous HRP (3.3 mg/100 g) visualizes the pinocytic structures in hepatocytes (coated vesicles, channels, cuplike bodies, and droplets). Kupffer cells pinocytose much HRP in both control and partially hepatectomized rats.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-331
Author(s):  
Rani S. Sellers ◽  
S. Radma Mahmood ◽  
Geoffrey S. Perumal ◽  
Frank P. Macaluso ◽  
Irwin J. Kurland

Lipin-1 ( Lpin1)–deficient lipodystrophic mice have scant and immature adipocytes and develop transient fatty liver early in life. Unlike normal mice, these mice cannot rely on stored triglycerides to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the β-oxidation of fatty acids during periods of fasting. To compensate, these mice store much higher amounts of glycogen in skeletal muscle and liver than wild-type mice in order to support energy needs during periods of fasting. Our studies demonstrated that there are phenotypic changes in skeletal muscle fibers that reflect an adaptation to this unique metabolic situation. The phenotype of skeletal muscle (soleus, gastrocnemius, plantaris, and extensor digitorum longus [EDL]) from Lpin1-/- was evaluated using various methods including immunohistochemistry for myosin heavy chains (Myh) 1, 2, 2a, 2b, and 2x; enzyme histochemistry for myosin ATPase, cytochrome-c oxidase (COX), and succinyl dehydrogenase (SDH); periodic acid–Schiff; and transmission electron microscopy. Fiber-type changes in the soleus muscle of Lpin1-/- mice were prominent and included decreased Myh1 expression with concomitant increases in Myh2 expression and myosin-ATPase activity; this change was associated with an increase in the presence of Myh1/2a or Myh1/2x hybrid fibers. Alterations in mitochondrial enzyme activity (COX and SDH) were apparent in the myofibers in the soleus, gastrocnemius, plantaris, and EDL muscles. Electron microscopy revealed increases in the subsarcolemmal mitochondrial mass in the muscles of Lpin1-/- mice. These data demonstrate that lipin-1 deficiency results in phenotypic fiber-specific modulation of skeletal muscle necessary for compensatory fuel utilization adaptations in lipodystrophy.


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 908-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha J. Powell ◽  
Charles E. Bracker ◽  
David J. Sternshein

The cytological events involved in the transformation of vegetative hyphae of the zygomycete Gilbertella persicaria (Eddy) Hesseltine into chlamydospores were studied with light and electron microscopy. Thirty hours after sporangiospores were inoculated into YPG broth, swellings appeared along the aseptate hyphae. Later, septa, traversed by plasmodesmata, delimited each end of the hyphal swellings and compartmentalized these hyphal regions as they differentiated into chlamydospores. Nonswollen regions adjacent to chlamydospores remained as isthmuses. Two additional wall layers appeared within the vegetative wall of the developing chlamydospores. An alveolate, electron-dense wall formed first, and then an electron-transparent layer containing concentrically oriented fibers formed between this layer and the plasma membrane. Rather than a mere condensation of cytoplasm, development and maturation of the multinucleate chlamydospores involved extensive cytoplasmic changes such as an increase in reserve products, lipid and glycogen, an increase and then disappearance of vacuoles, and the breakdown of many mitochondria. Underlying the plasma membrane during chlamydospore wall formation were endoplasmic reticulum, multivesicular bodies, vesicles with fibrillar contents, vesicles with electron-transparent contents, and cisternal rings containing the Golgi apparatus marker enzyme, thiamine pyrophosphatase. Acid phosphatase activity was localized cytochemically in a cisterna which enclosed mitochondria and in vacuoles which contained membrane fragments. Tightly packed membrane whorls and single membrane bounded sacs with finely granular matrices surrounding vacuoles were unique during chlamydospore development. Microbodies were rare in the mature chlamydospore, but endoplasmic reticulum was closely associated with lipid globules. As chlamydospores developed, the cytoplasm in the isthmus became highly vacuolated, lipid globules were closely associated with vacuoles, mitochondria were broken down in vacuoles, unusual membrane configurations appeared, and eventually the membranes degenerated. Unlike chlamydospores, walls of the isthmus did not thicken, but irregularly shaped appositions containing numerous channels formed at intervals on the inside of these walls. The pattern of cytoplasmic transformations during chlamydospore development is similar to events leading to the formation of zygospores and sporangiospores.


1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. N. M. Khan ◽  
J. E. Sagartz ◽  
G. Koenig ◽  
K. Tanaka

Systemic mastocytosis was diagnosed in a 4-year-old, female Nubian goat. Clinically, the animal was depressed and had severe macrocytic hypochromic anemia and leukopenia. Postmortem examination revealed neoplastic mast cells invading the heart, lung, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. Eosinophils were frequently admixed with infiltrating mast cells in all organs. Using routine light microscopy, histochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy, metachromatic and periodic acid—Schiff–positive granules were identified within the cytoplasm of neoplastic mast cells. Erythrophagocytosis was observed in some neoplastic cells, although its contribution to the anemia was not clear. This report represents the first description of mast cell neoplasia in the goat.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Dudenhausen ◽  
P. Talbot

The spermatophore of the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus consists of two main parts: a sperm mass composed of sperm embedded in a dense fibrillar matrix and an acellular wall which surrounds the sperm mass and is formed from secretions produced in the vas deferens. Following extrusion from the male, the spermatophore wall, which is initially soft and sticky, undergoes a hardening process. In this study, the structure of the spermatophore walls of unextruded (soft) and hardened spermatophores were compared using light and electron microscopy. The wall of the unextruded spermatophore is composed of three concentric layers: a thin primary spermatophore layer which directly surrounds the sperm mass; a thick middle layer composed primarily of electron-dense, spherical granules; and a thick outer layer formed from a dense globular secretion. The primary spermatophore layer and outer globular layer are positive for carbohydrate with the periodic acid – Schiff method. Following extrusion and hardening, the walls of spermatophores showed several structural changes. These are (i) division of the middle granular layer into a compact inner region and a highly reticulated outer region; (ii) the loss of the outer globular layer; and (iii) the formation of a thickened ridge along one side of the spermatophore wall. The thickened ridge is fibrillar in structure and is believed to be derived from a structural modification of the outer globular layer. No structural modifications in the primary spermatophore layer were observed. We interpret these observations to indicate that the outer globular layer functions in attachment of the spermatophore to the female and the middle layer is involved in spermatophore hardening and sperm protection during storage.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ding ◽  
Tingyan Liu ◽  
Xiao Bi ◽  
Zhiling Zhang

Background/Aims: Growing evidence suggests mitochondrial dysfunction (MtD) and the Nlrp3 inflammasome play critical roles in chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. We previously reported that Aldosterone (Aldo)-induced renal injury in vitro is directly caused by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS)-mediated activation of the Nlrp3 inflammasome. Here we aimed to determine whether a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant (Mito-Tempo) could prevent Aldo-induced kidney damage in vivo. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were treated with Aldo and/or Mito-Tempo (or ethanol as a control) for 4 weeks. Renal injury was evaluated by Periodic Acid-Schiff reagent or Masson’s trichrome staining and electron microscopy. ROS were measured by DCFDA fluorescence and ELISA. MtD was determined by real-time PCR and electron microscopy. Activation of the Nlrp3 inflammasome and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) was detected via western blot. Results: Compared with control mice, Aldo-infused mice showed impaired renal function, increased mtROS production and MtD, Nlrp3 inflammasome activation, and elevated ERS. We showed administration of Mito-Tempo significantly improved renal function and MtD, and reduced Nlrp3 inflammasome activation and ERS in vivo. Conclusion: Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants may attenuate Aldo-infused renal injury by inhibiting MtD, the Nlrp3 inflammasome, and ERS in vivo. Therefore, targeting mtROS might be an effective strategy for preventing CKD.


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