Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Structure and function of the nematosome.

C D Ockleford1, C H Nevard, I Indans

  • 1Department of Anatomy, University of Leicester Medical School, UK.

Journal of Cell Science
|February 1, 1987
PubMed
Summary

Researchers studied the structure of placental nematosomes in humans and mice. They found these organelles do not contain nucleic acid, clarifying their composition.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Understanding civic participation of older adults: a scoping review.

Archives of gerontology and geriatrics·2026
Same author

Unveiling the unseen: Exploring stigma in stillbirth care through interdisciplinary narratives.

Death studies·2025
Same author

Associations with food allergy-related psychological distress in a global sample of adults, children and caregivers.

Clinical and translational allergy·2025
Same author

Global availability and uptake of psychological services for adults, caregivers and children with food allergy.

Allergy·2024
Same author

Barriers to implementation of placental transfusion of babies at birth in Zambia.

African journal of reproductive health·2023
Same author

Exploring what motivates and sustains support group engagement amongst young people with allergies: A qualitative study.

Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology·2018

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Ultrastructural Morphology

Background:

  • Nematosomes are organelles found in the placenta.
  • Their precise composition and function remain incompletely understood.
  • Previous studies have not definitively characterized their molecular makeup.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the ultrastructural morphology of human and mouse placental nematosomes.
  • To determine the presence or absence of nucleic acid within these organelles.
  • To provide a detailed three-dimensional analysis of nematosome structure.

Main Methods:

  • Serial sectioning for three-dimensional reconstruction of nematosome shape.
  • Optical diffraction analysis to measure the repeat distance of subunit fibers.
  • Ultrastructural cytochemical staining to detect nucleic acid presence.

Main Results:

  • Detailed three-dimensional models of human and mouse placental nematosomes were generated.
  • Optical diffraction revealed specific repeat distances within the nematosome subunit fibers.
  • Cytochemical analysis provided strong evidence against the presence of nucleic acid within nematosomes.

Conclusions:

  • Nematosomes exhibit a distinct ultrastructural morphology in both human and mouse placentas.
  • The absence of nucleic acid suggests nematosomes are not involved in genetic material storage or transfer.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the specific function of nematosomes in placental biology.

Related Experiment Videos