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Hindbrain floor plate of the rat: ultrastructural changes occurring during development
M A del Brio1, P Riera, B Peruzzo
1Departamento de Morfología y Biología Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain. abrio@correo.uniovi.es
Microscopy Research and Technique
|March 10, 2001
Summary
The hindbrain floor plate (FP) in developing rats exhibits unique ultrastructural changes, including specialized secretory compartments and cell death, differing from the spinal cord FP. This study reveals novel insights into hindbrain FP development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Most research focuses on the spinal cord floor plate (FP), leaving the hindbrain FP largely unstudied.
- Developmental changes in the FP occur regionally and temporally, but ultrastructural details are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ultrastructural developmental changes in the rat hindbrain floor plate (FP).
- To characterize the unique cellular features and secretory mechanisms of the hindbrain FP.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ultrastructural immunocytochemistry with an antibody against secretory glycoproteins (AFRU) to analyze the rat hindbrain FP.
- Examined developmental changes from embryonic day 12 (E-12) to postnatal stages.
Main Results:
- Observed progressive hypertrophy of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) from E-12 to E-18.
- Identified unique tubular formations and 140-nm vesicles in hindbrain FP cells, suggesting pre-Golgi secretory compartments.
- Detected apoptotic cells in the FP of E-20 embryos and newborns.
Conclusions:
- Hindbrain FP cells possess distinct secretory pathways, potentially bypassing the Golgi apparatus.
- These findings suggest a unique developmental fate for hindbrain FP cells, involving apoptosis rather than redifferentiation.