Protein markers in the microcyst of the posteroventral cochlear nucleus of the gerbil
S.M. Yu1,2, K.H. Lin3 and Y.L. Lai4
1Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, 2Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, 3Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, School of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan and 4Graduate Institute of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Offprint requests to: Dr, Shang-Ming Yu, Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406, Taiwan. e-mail: smyu1946@ctust.edu.tw
Summary. Microcysts are most evident in the posteroventral and anteroventral cochlear nuclei (PVCN and AVCN) of the Mongolian gerbil. The origin and contents of the microcyst are not elucidated at present. The present study investigated the possible inclusions in the microcyst by employing immunocytochemical labeling to localize the existence of various protein markers. Thirty and 100 µm thick sections were used to substitute and reconstruct between 6 and 20 paraffin serial sections, respectively. In 30-µm-thick slice sections, immunoreactivity of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP-IR), mitochondria inner membrane (MCA-In-IR), S-100 (S-100-IR), serotonin (5-HT-IR), myelin proteolipid protein (PLP-IR) and substance P (SP-IR) abutted on the perimeter of the microcyst. The immunolabeled SP-positive cells were adjacent to the evagination of the microcyst. In 100-µm-thick slice sections, immunoreactivity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS-IR) and somatostatin (SOM-IR) mainly precipitated as flocculent structures in the small to medium-sized microcysts. 5-HT-IR also precipitated as an elongated flocculent stalk adjacent to the large microcyst or randomly distributed in the neuropil. The findings suggest that GFAP, MCA-In, S-100, 5-HT, PLP, SP, NOS and SOM may be involved in modulating the physiological functions and maintaining micro-environmental homeostasis of the microcyst in the cochlear nucleus of the gerbil. Histol Histopathol 23, 51-56 (2008)
Key words: Glial fibrillary acidic protein, Microcyst, Nitric oxide synthase, Somatostatin, Posteroventral cochlear nucleus
DOI: 10.14670/HH-23.51