PSA‐NCAM expression in the teleost optic tectum is related to ecological niche and use of vision in finding food

In this study, tangential migration and neuronal connectivity organization were analysed in the optic tectum of seven different teleosts through the expression of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA‐NCAM) in response to ecological niche and use of vision. Reduced PSA‐NCAM expression in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss optic tectum occurred in efferent layers, while in pike Esox lucius and zebrafish Danio rerio it occurred in afferent and efferent layers. Zander Sander lucioperca and European eel Anguilla anguilla had very low PSA‐NCAM expression in all tectal layers except in the stratum marginale. Common carp Cyprinus carpio and wels catfish Silurus glanis had the same intensity of PSA‐NCAM expression in all tectal layers. The optic tectum of all studied fishes was also a site of tangential migration with sustained PSA‐NCAM and c‐series ganglioside expression. Anti‐c‐series ganglioside immunoreactivity was observed in all tectal layers of all analysed fishes, even in layers where PSA‐NCAM expression was reduced. Since the optic tectum is indispensable for visually guided prey capture, stabilization of synaptic contact and decrease of neurogenesis and tangential migration in the visual map are an expected adjustment to ecological niche. The authors hypothesize that this stabilization would probably be achieved by down‐regulation of PSA‐NCAM rather than c‐series of ganglioside.     

Axoplasmic transport of RNA

The transport of RNA from the ganglion cell bodies within the retina to the contralateral optic tectum has been studied in the chick following intraocular injection of radioactive uridine. By tracing the appearance of labeled RNA at the proximal end of the optic nerve as it leaves the eyeball and comparing this to the time of arrival of RNA within the optic tectum, the migratory velocity of axonal RNA has been calculated to be around 12 mm per day. The continuation of RNA migration to the optic tectum in the presence of intracerebrally injected actinomycin-D but not in the presence of the intraocularly injected drug, suggests a retinal site of synthesis of the excess RNA found in the tectum innervated by the injected eye. A study of the rate of disppearance of radioactivity of the transported RNA in the optic lobes, suggested that this RNA turns over more rapidly than the bulk of tectal RNA. The destination of migrating RNA within the optic tectum has been autoradiographically examined. Most radioactive RNA is found in the outer tectal layers in which are found the afferent fibers of the optic tract and most of their synaptic terminations. Label is not confined to these areas however but is also present in the deeper layers of the optic tectum which are not known to contain any primary synapses of the axons from retinal ganglion cells.     

Spatiotemporal Gradient of Astrocyte Development in the Chick Optic Tectum: Evidence for Multiple Origins and Migratory Paths of Astrocytes

Astrocytes have been considered to be transformed from radial glial cells that appear at early stage of development and play a scaffold-role for neuronal cell migration. Recent studies indicate that neuroepithelial cells in the spinal cord also give rise to astrocytes. However, the mode of astroglial generation and migration in the ventricular neuroepithelium remains poorly understood. In this study, we have utilized immunohistochemical and retroviral lineage tracing methods to characterize the developmental profiles of astrocytes in the chick optic tectum, which develops from both the neural tube and invasion of optic tract. Chick vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were found as single bands at molecular weights consistent with those reported for mammalian species. Differential developmental trends were observed for both proteins with relative vimentin levels decreasing and GFAP levels increasing with embryonic age. We observed two streams of tectal GFAP-labeled astrocytes originated from the tectal ventricle (intrinsic origin) and the optic tract (extrinsic origin). The extrinsic astrocytes arose from the ventral neuroepithelium of the third ventricle, dispersed bilaterally to the optic tract, and subsequently to the outer layer of optic tectum, indicating migration of astrocytes along retinal ganglion cell axons. On the other hand, the intrinsic astrocytes from the tectal ventricular neuroepithelium appeared first in the ventral part of the optic tectum, and then in the lateral and dorsal tectum. The intrinsic tectal astrocytes closely associated with fascicles of vimentin-labeled radial glial cells, indicating a presumptive radial migration of astrocytes. These results demonstrated that the optic tectum contains heterogeneous populations of astrocytes developed from the different origins and routes of migration.     

Migratory paths and phenotypic choices of clonally related cells in the avian optic tectum.

We used retrovirus-mediated gene transfer to study the migration of clonally related cells in the developing chicken optic tectum. Clonal cohorts initially form radial arrays in the ventricular zone (approximately E5), but eventually divide into three separate migratory streams. In the first migration, a minor population of cells migrates tangentially along axon fascicles in medio-laterally directed files (approximately E6-E7); these eventually differentiate into multipolar efferent cells. After E7, the majority of cells in each clone migrate radially along fascicles of radial glia to form the tectal plate, wherein they differentiate into neurons and astrocytes. Around E9, a set of small cells leaves the radial arrays in superficial layers to form a second tangential migration; at least some of these differentiate into astrocytes. Thus, as the tectum develops, cells derived from a single multipotential precursor migrate along three separate pathways, follow separate guidance cues, and adopt distinct phenotypes.     

Expression and involvement of gicerin, a cell adhesion molecule, in the development of chick optic tectum

Gicerin is a cell adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. It has both a homophilic binding activity and a heterophilic binding activity to neurite outgrowth factor (NOF) a molecule belonging to the laminin family. We have reported many studies on the heterophilic activity of gicerin and NOF, but the function of its homophilic binding activity in vivo had been unclear. In the retina, gicerin is expressed in retinal ganglion cells only when they extend neurites to the optic tectum. In this report we have found that gicerin is also transiently expressed in the optic tectum during this time. First, cell aggregation assays were used to show that gicerin expressed in the optic tectum displays homophilic binding activity. Then, explant cultures of embryonic day 6 chick optic tectum on gicerin-Fc chimeric protein-coated dishes and NOF-coated dishes were carried out. It was found that gicerin-gicerin homophilic interactions promoted cell migration, whereas heterophilic interactions with NOF induced neurite formation. Furthermore, when anti-gicerin antibodies were injected in order to examine the effect of gicerin protein in the formation of the tectal layer in ovo, cell migration was strongly inhibited. These data suggest that homophilic interaction of gicerin participates in the migration of neural cells during the layer formation and plays a crucial role in the organization of the optic tectum.     

Reparative neurogenesis in the brain and changes in the optic nerve of adult trout <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis> after mechanical damage of the eye

Reparative proliferation and neurogenesis in the brain integrative centers after mechanical eye injury in an adult trout Oncorhynchus mykiss have been studied. We have found that proliferation and neurogenesis in proliferative brain regions, the cerebellum, and the optic tectum were significantly enhanced after the eye injury. The cerebellum showed a significant increase in the proliferative activity of the cells of the dorsal proliferative zone and parenchymal cells of the molecular and granular layers. One week after the injury, PCNA-positive radial glia cells have been identified in the tectum. We have found for the first time that the eye trauma resulted in the development of local clusters of undifferentiated cells forming so called neurogenic niches in the tectum and cerebellum. The differentiation of neuronal cells detected by labeling cells with antibodies against the protein HuC/D occurred in the proliferative zones of the telencephalon, the optic tectum, cerebellum, and medulla of a trout within 2 days after the injury. We have shown that the HuC/D expression is higher in the proliferative brain regions than in the definitive neurons of a trout. In addition, we have examined cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis caused by the eye injury in the contra- and ipsilateral optic nerves and adjacent muscle fibers 2 days after the trauma. The qualitative and quantitative assessment of proliferation and apoptosis in the cells of the optic nerve of a trout has been made using antibodies against PCNA and the TUNEL method.     

Glutamate-like immunoreactivity in chick cerebellum and optic tectum

Glutamate was coupled via glutaraldehyde to bovine serum albumin. The conjugate was used for raising specific anti-glutamate antibodies. The purified antibody was used for immunostaining of chick cerebellum and optic tectum. Staining was intense in the molecular layer and in cell bodies of the granule cell layer. In the optic tectum a diffuse staining was detected in the superficial layers of stratum griseum fibrosum superficiale and in cell bodies especially in the layers a and e. Large cell bodies located in the stratum griseum centrale were also stained.     

Specific cell surface labels in the visual centers of Xenopus laevis tadpole identified using monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the optic tectum of Xenopus tadpoles were generated and screened by the immunofluorescent staining of frozen sections of tadpole brains. MAb-A5 stains the 8th and 9th plexiform layers of the optic tectum, whereas MAb-B2 stains all but the eighth and ninth plexiform layers of the optic tectum. MAb-A5 antigen is also detectable in the nucleus of Belonci, the corpus geniculatum thalamicum, the pretectal area, and the basal optic nucleus, all targets of the optic nerve, but is not detectable in the optic nerve or the optic tract. On the other hand, MAb-B2 does not stain any of these visual centers, though many fibers surrounding them are stained. Eye-enucleation experiments showed that MAb-A5 antigen is expressed in the optic tectum even when it is not innervated by optic nerves. Staining of viable brains with these MAbs indicates that these antigens are cell surface molecules. Immunoadsorption followed by SDS-PAGE suggests that proteins are constituents of these antigens. The MAb-A5 antigen in the diencephalon and the mesencephalon is not detectable at stage 35/36, but is detectable at stage 39 when the optic nerves begin to innervate the optic tectum. The spatial as well as the temporal patterns of the expression of the MAb-A5 antigen suggest that this molecule may be involved in the target recognition of optic nerve fibers.     

北草蜥中脑视叶组织学结构观察

用光学显微镜对北草蜥(Takydromus septentrionalis)中脑视叶组织学结构进行了观察。视叶分为背侧的顶盖和腹侧的被盖,两者无明显界限。顶盖处灰质和白质交替排列。由表及里,可分为分子层、外灰质层、浅白质层、中灰质层、中白质层、深灰质层、深白质层和室管膜层。被盖处细胞层次不明显。在视叶的前部有横行的纤维将左右视叶联系起来。左右视叶室与中脑水管以及两视叶间的纵沟在视叶的中、后部相通。同时将北草蜥的中脑与其它低等脊椎动物进行了比较,推测北草蜥在进化上处于较低等地位。     

Tecto-thalamo-telencephalic interrelationships following visual deafferentation

21-23 months after uni- and bilateral enucleation of the eyes, the turtles Emys orbicularis and Testudo horsfieldi exhibited atrophy, gliosis and residual degenerative changes in the visual nerves and tracts and in the two upper layers of the optic tectum, as well as a reduced density of fibres in the tecto-thalamic tract on the deafferentated side. Electrophysiological experiments on the turtles have shown that tectal impulses en route to the general cortex of the forebrain are relayed in the n. rotundus. Conduction of impulses along the tecto-geniculo-cortical path, found in intact animals, ceases, which is apparently due to transsynaptic changes in the surface layers of the optic tectum.     

Interactions between tectal radial cells in the red-eared turtle, Pseudemys scripta elegans: an analysis of tectal modules.

The optic tectum is a major subdivision of the visual system in reptiles. Previous studies have characterized the laminar pattern, the neuronal populations, and the afferent and efferent connections of the optic tectum in a variety of reptiles. However, little is known about the interactions that occur between neurons within the tectum. This study describes two kinds of interactions that occur between one major class of neurons, the radial cells, in the optic tectum of Pseudemys using Nissl, Golgi and electron microscopic preparations. Radial cells have somata which bear long, radially oriented apical dendrites from their upper poles and short, basal dendrites from their lower poles. They are divided into two populations on the basis of the distribution of their somata in the tectum. Deep radial cells have somata densely packed in the stratum griseum periventriculare. Their plasma membranes form casual appositions. Middle radial cells have somata scattered throughout the stratum griseum centrale and stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale and do not contact each other. The apical dendrites of both populations of radial cells participate in vertically oriented, dendritic bundles. The plasma membranes of the dendrites in these bundles form casual appositions in the deeper tectal layers and chemical, dendrodenritic synapses within the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale. The synapses have clear, round synaptic vesicles and slightly asymmetric membrane densities. Thus, radial cells interact via both casual appositions and chemical synapses. These interactions suggest that radial cells may form a basic framework in the tectum. Because both populations of radial cells extend into the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale and stratum opticum, they may receive input from some of the same tectal afferent systems. Because the deep radial cells alone have somata and dendrites in the deep tectal layers, they may receive additional inputs that the middle radial cells do not. Neurons in the two populations interact via chemical dendrodentritic synapses, thereby forming vertically oriented modules in the tectum.     

Distribution of an endogenous lectin in the developing chick optic tectum

We determined the cellular localization of an endogenous lectin at various times during the development of a well-characterized region of chick brain, the optic tectum. This lectin is a carbohydrate-binding protein that interacts with lactose and other saccharides, undergoes striking changes in specific activity with development, and has previously been purified by affinity chromatography from extracts of embryonic chick brain and muscle. Cellular localization in the tectum was done by indirect immunofluoresecent staining, using immunoglobulin G derived from an antiserum raised against pure lectin. No lectin was detectable in the optic tectum examined at 5 days of embryonic development. From approximately 7 days of development, neuronal cell bodies and fibers were labeled by the antibody; and extracts of tectum contained hemagglutination activity that could be inhibited by lactose or by the antiserum. Lectin remained present in many tectal neuronal layers after hatching; but in 2-month-old chicks it was sparse or absent in most of the tectum except for prominent labeling of fibers in the stratum album centrale. The initial appearance of lectin in the optic tectum was not dependent on innervation by optic nerve fibers since bilateral enucleation during embryogenesis did not affect it. Lectin was detectable on the surface of embryonic optic tectal neurons dissociated with a buffer containing EDTA.     

Proliferative response of the mesencephalic matrix areas in the reparation of the optic tectum of Triturus cristatus carnifex

The localization and proliferative response of optic tectum matrix cells has been studied in adult newt following an experimental lesion on an optic lobe. The results show that 15 days after the lesion the cells in division, autoradiographically labelled, are located in the periventricular layer. Thirty days after the lesion the labelled cells are also found in the innermost grey layers; at 90 days the injured optic tectum regains the cytoarchitecture characteristic of this centre, with labelled cells, whether in the external or in the internal pyriform layers. In all the stages the labelled cells are also found in the periventricular layers of the controlateral optic tectum, in the dorsal pallium and in the striatum. The quantitative data exhibit the existence of a direct relationship between the number of proliferating cells in the injured optic lobe and the extent of the lesion. These data show the possibility of active cellular proliferation for the reconstruction of the lesioned nervous area and for restoration of the characteristic histological structure.     

Neuronal and synaptic organization in the gravity receptor system of the statocyst of Octopus vulgaris

Summary The optic tectum of Calamoichthys calabaricus (Polypteriformes) shows a relatively complex vertical stratification, with six main layers and a varied neuronal typology. In particular, pyriform neurons in the well developed stratum griseum periventriculare and some multipolar neurons in the stratum griseum profundum represent the efferent elements of the tectum, while the optic and lemniscal inputs to the tectum converge in the plexiform sublayers of the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale. In the circuitry of the tectum some modulation is achieved by some of the polymorphic cells of the stratum griseum internum and by the horizontal cells of the outer layers. Notwithstanding some differences with respect to the teleost optic lobe (i.e., the absence of a torus longitudinalis; the lack of a stratum fibrosum marginale; the modest size of the stratum fibrosum profundum; the paucity of neurons in the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale; and the ill-defined separation of the layers of the afferent and efferent fibers), the optic tectum of Calamoichthys resembles the mesotectal type characteristic of teleosts, anurans and reptiles. It exhibits higher degree of organization than the optic tectum of the Chondrostei.     

Evolutionary evaluation of reciprocity of connections in the turtle tectofugal visual system

In two turtle species—Emys orbicularis and Testudo horsfieldi—by the method of anterograde and retrograde traicing at the light and electron microscopy level, the existence is proven of direct descending projections from the thalamic nucleus of the tectofugal visual system n. rotunds (Rot) to the optic tectum. After injection of tracers into Rot alone and into Rot with involvement of the tectothalamic tract (Trtth), occasional labeled fibers with varicosities and terminals are revealed predominantly in the deep sublayers of SGFS of the rostral optic tectum, while in the lower amount—in other tectal layers. After the tracer injections into the optic tectum, a few retrogradely labeled neurons were found mainly in the Rot ventral parts and within Trtth. Their localization coincides with that of GABA-immunoreactive cells. Electron microscopy showed the existence of many retrogradely labeled dendrites throughout the whole Rot; a few labeled cell bodies were also present there, some of them being also GABA-immunoreactive. These results allow us to conclude about the existence of reciprocal connections between the optic tectum and Rot in turtles, these connections being able to affect processing of visual information in tectum. We suggest that reciprocity of tectothalamic connections might be the ancestral feature of the vertebrate brain; in the course of amniote evolution the functional significance of this feature can be decreased and even lost in parallel with a rise of the role of direct corticotectal projections.     

Distribution of calbindinlike immunoreactive structures in the optic tectum of normal and eye-enucleated cyprinid fish

Summary Using the ABC immunohistochemical method, we investigated the distribution of calbindinlike immunoreactive structures in the optic tectum of normal fish, Tinca tinca, and from normal and unilaterally eye-enucleated fish, Cyprinus carpio. In nonoperated individuals of both species the optic tectum contained numerous immunoreactive neurons with strongly positive somata located in the stratum periventriculare and a thick immunolabeled dendritic shaft ascending radially toward the stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale. The retinorecipient layers contained many fibrous immunoreactive structures. Some varicose fibers, isolated or in small bundles, were localized to the stratum album centrale, especially in the dorsal tectal half. Unilateral eye removal produced the disappearance of the immunoreactive fibrous structures located in the retinorecipient layers of the tectum contralateral to the enucleation. The present work shows that calbindinlike immunoreactive substances are localized in specific neural circuits of the fish optic tectum and suggests that the calbindin-like immunoreactive fibers in the retinorecipient strata are of retinal origin.     

Cholinergic development in chick optic tectum and retina reaggregated cell cultures

The developmental profiles of acetylcholinesterase and choline acetyltransferase in chick optic tectum and retina cell aggregates, over a 30-day period, have been determined and compared with the corresponding developmental curves obtained in vivo. Both acetylcholinesterase and choline acetyltransferase activities in retina cell aggregates and the acetylcholinesterase activity in optic tectum cell aggregates usually lie between 40 and 90% of the values measured in vivo for the same cell (tissue) type and developmental age. However, the choline acetyltransferase activity in tectum aggregates increases only during the first 7 days of culture, and then decreases to reach a low value of 8% of that measured in vivo, by day 24. This fact, which is associated with widespread degeneration and cell death, could be attributed to the condition of natural deafferentiation occurring in a tectum cell aggregate. A parallel has been drawn between this behavior of a tectum cell aggregate and the effect of early embryonic eye removal on the development of the contralateral optic tectum in vivo. Thus, the tectum may have a biphasic pattern of development, with an autonomous period of growth of about 2 wk, followed by an afference-dependent phase, while the retina behaves, from a cholinergic point of view, as a relatively self-sufficient structure.Abbreviations AChE acetylcholinesterase - ChAT choline acetyltransferase - ACh acetylcholine - BW284 C51 dibromide 1,5-bis(4-allyldimethylammoniumphenyl)pentan-3-one dibromide     

TOPOGRAPHICAL AND SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF CHOLINE ACETYLTRANSFERASE AND GLUTAMATE DECARBOXYLASE IN PIGEON OPTIC TECTUM

Abstract— The distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) in different layers of the pigeon optic tectum and in some nuclei of the optic lobe have been investigated. About 40% of GAD and 25% of ChAT were found in the superficial part of tectum, but negligible activity was found in the stratum opticum. The highest GAD activity was found in layers 3-7 (according to the nomenclature of C ajal , 1911) with a peak in layer 4. ChAT activity peaked in layers 3, 5. 8 and 10/11. Its distribution correlated well with the staining pattern of AChE, particularly in the superficial part of the tectum. The distribution of ChAT and GAD did not change significantly 4 weeks after enucleation. ChAT and GAD activities were high in the nucleus isthmi, pars parvocellularis (Ipc). The activity of GAD was also high in the nucleus intercollicularis (ICo), the other nuclei showed less activity of both enzymes.