Ultrastructure of multiple microtubule initiation sites in mouse neuroblastoma cells

Morphologically undifferentiated and differentiated mouse neuroblastoma N115 and N18 cells were examined after serial sectioning by electron microscopy. A sizeable percentage of the cells revealed multiple centrioles, usually clustered together in the perinuclear area with 2 preferential locations, i.e. above and below the largest nuclear diameter. These results indicate that the multiple microtubule-organizing centres previously visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy with tubulin antibody in neuroblastoma cells recovering from Colcemid poisoning are most likely in majority related to multiple centrioles. This interpretation is further strengthened by experiments in which cells are first recorded in the fluorescence microscope and then after serial sectioning in the electron microscope. The results show that under optimal conditions immunofluorescence microscopy is able to visualize single centrioles. The possible biological significance of the combined electron and immunofluorescence microscopical results is discussed.