Ultrastructural study on the origin of rat microglia cells

An ultrastructural study of the origin of microglial cells has been performed in albino rat brains taken from 17-day-old embryos up to 35-day-old rats. Invasion of the nervous parenchyma by macrophagic cells which appear in mesodermal sources is described. Although the two main microglial sources are the meningeal membranes and the vascular adventitia, pericytes may also participate in the formation of microglial cells.     

Histamine and serotonin liberation and vascular permeability in a focus of acute aseptic inflammation]

Degranulation of mast cells of albino rat peritoneal fluid and mesentery of the small intestine and the release of histamine and serotonin in acute aseptic peritonitis began the first minute after the damage and reached their maximum by the 5-th minute; by the 15-th minute the level of free amines did not differ significantly from the initial one. The dynamics of the immediate phase of increased vascular permeability corresponded to the dynamics of the free amines. The greatest increase of vascular permeability was noted on the 10th--15-th minute; it decreased considerably by the 20th minute. It was concluded that histamine and serotonin caused an increase of vascular permeability in acute aseptic peritonitis mainly within 15 minutes after the damage.     

Interspecific melanocyte chimaeras made by introducing rat cells into postimplantation mouse embryos in utero

Dissociated cells of whole midgestation rat embryos were injected into implanted albino mouse embryos on Day 8.5 of gestation in utero. This successfully produced viable interspecific chimaeras which were found to have pigmented hairs. Two of them had many pigmented hairs covering a large area of their bodies, including a forelimb and a hindlimb. The fact that some of the introduced rat cells differentiated into functional melanocytes suggests that embryonic cells of both species were able to interact with each other normally and that the foreign cells were kept from maternal immunological assault.     

Effects of Hyperthyroidism on Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Apoptosis in Fetal Adrenal Glands

This study investigated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular density, and apoptosis in fetal rat adrenal glands with hyperthyroidism in late gestation. Twelve mature female Wistar albino rats with the same biological and physiological features were used for this study. Rats were divided into two groups: control and hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism was induced by daily subcutaneous injections of L-thyroxine (250 µg/kg) before pregnancy for 21 days and during pregnancy. Rats in the control and hyperthyroidism groups were caged according to the number of male rats. Zero day of pregnancy (Day 0) was indicated when the animals were observed to have microscopic sperm in vaginal smears. Pregnant rats were sacrificed on the 20th day of pregnancy; blood from each animal was collected to determine the concentrations of maternal adrenocorticotropic hormone and thyroxine. Rat fetuses were then quickly removed from the uterus, and the adrenal glands of the fetuses were dissected. VEGF expression, vascular density, and apoptosis were analyzed in fetal rat adrenal glands. Maternal serum levels of the ACTH and free thyroxine were significantly higher in the hyperthyroidism group than in the control group. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of VEGF positive cells and vessel density significantly increased in the hyperthyroidism rat fetal adrenal group compared with the control group. Hyperthyroidism did not change the fetal and placental weights and the number of fetuses. This study demonstrates that hyperthyroidism may have an effect on the development of rat adrenal glands mediated by VEGF expression, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.     

Thalamic arterial pattern: an endocast and scanning electron microscopic study in normotensive male rats

Rat cerebral vasculature serves as a model for study of the pathophysiology of stroke in humans. Human thalamic arteries show a high incidence of stroke. The objective is to describe the thalamic arterial vascular pattern in normotensive male rats as the initial step for quantitative histochemical studies of enzyme activities in the walls of these vessels. Intracardiac injections of methyl methacrylate monomer provide detailed vascular endocasts. The thalamic vascular bed defined by in situ dissection, serial reconstruction, and light and scanning electron microscopy of endocasts contained four groups of vessel: ventral medial thalamic arteries, thalamic branches from the posterior cerebral artery, and ventral lateral and ventral anterior thalamic arteries. Thalamic vessels are muscular arterioles that, after three to four bipinnate branches, feed into a continuous capillary bed (no loops). The parent vessels and their subsequent branches have been evaluated in terms of their mean internal diameters, mean interbranch intervals, and branch angles. The arterial patterns to rat and human thalami are very similar, with the exception of the anterior choroidal artery which is missing in the rat. The branches supplying the thalamus in both the rat and human are closely associated with the circle of Willis; however, the constituent parts of the circle in rat vary from the pattern in human brain. The rat thalamic arteries show morphological features similar to those seen in the stroke-prone ganglionic arteries in the human basal ganglia.     

In vitro hemolytic activity ofPlasmodium berghei on red blood cells

A suspension ofPlasmodium berghei obtained by lysis with saponin of red blood cells from an infected rat showed high hemolytic activity, when incubatedin vitro with normal rat red blood cells. The hemolysis was a temperature-dependent process and was dependent on the concentration of the parasite. Plasma ofPlasmodium berghei infected albino rats also possessed lytic activity.     

Activity of specific and non-specific cholinesterases in the subcommissural organ of guinea pig and albino rat

Summary The localizations of specific and non-specific cholinesterases were demonstrated by light and electron microscopical methods in the secretory cells of the subcommissural organ of the guinea pig and albino rat.The activity of non-specific cholinesterase at light microscopical level appeared slightly stronger compared to the activity of the specific cholinesterase. No differences in the localizations of the both enzymes could be noticed.In electron microscopic specimens no differences could be observed between the localization or intensity of the specific and non-specific cholinesterase reactions except some nerve fibres round the secretory hypendymal cells in which only a specific cholinesterase reaction product was noticed. The reaction product was found mainly in the cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes, in the rough and smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and around some secretory granules in the ependymal and hypendymal secretory cells of the subcommissural organ in guinea pig and albino rat.The possible role of cholinesterases in the secretory cells of the subcommissural organ is further discussed. Their participation in the metabolism and/or secretion of the hormonal end products is suggested.     

The characteristics of the cell aggregation of the tectum mesencephali in chick embryos and of the cerebral cortex in newborn rats in mixed cultures]

To determine species-specific cells in mixed culture, obtained after simultaneous cultivation of dissociated cells of chick embryo midbrain tegmentum and newborn albino rat cerebral cortex, various DNA amounts were used for testing chick and rat cells. The study of cell structure of the aggregates revealed that in addition to the aggregates consisting of cells belonging to only one species of animals, chimera aggregates also exist made of cells of both species of animals, basically of chick embryo glial cells and newborn rat neurons.     

Intrinsic innervation of the uterus in guinea pig and rat

The pattern of distribution of cholinergic and adrenergic nerves in the uterus of albino rats and guinea pigs was examined histochemically. In the albino rat, the uterus was found well-innervated by both adrenergic and cholinergic nerves with a clear regional variation. Dense innervation was demonstrated at the tubal and cervical ends of the uterus and in the cervix. Cholinergic nerves supplying the glands were more numerous than the adrenergic nerves which were relatively few. In the guinea-pigs, the uterus was richly innervated by adrenergic nerves with a clear regional variation. No cholinesterase-positive nerves or nerve cells were demonstrated.     

Intrinsic innervation of the urinary bladder of kangaroo and albino rats.

A comparative study of the intrinsic innervation in desert rodents (kangaroo rats) and others (albino rats) was carried out in an attempt to understand the functional anatomy of the bladder in these animals which are known to sustain severe water restraint. The bladder of the albino rat was innervated by predominantly thin nerves, more numerous beaded endings and few ganglia. That of the kangaroo rat had more numerous thick nerves (pre-ganglionic), large verve trunks, and ganglia which were extensively distributed in the wall. These findings indicate that the bladder of the albino rat depends mainly on the intrinsic innervation and facilatory micturition reflexes, while that of the kangaroo rat is intrinsically regulated, depending on a short neuron system. It was concluded that all the structural differences found might be essential for constant urine retention.     

Changes in cholinergic and noradrenergic nerves in the pregnant and postpartum uterus of the albino rat and guinea pig

The present study was undertaken to investigate the structural changes in both cholinesterase (ChE)-positive nerve fibers and adrenergic nerves with formaldehyde-induced fluorescence in pregnant and postpartum uteri of both the albino rat and guinea pig. Particular attention was directed to the relationship between these changes and the local factors associated with the growing fetus. ChE reaction was absent in the control and pregnant uterus of the guinea pig. In the albino rat, there were signs of degeneration in pregnancy. These were evidenced by vacuolation of large nerve trunks and the presence of focal segments with very faint reaction along the course of the nerve bundles. Myometrial segments from fetus-containing horns showed some fragmented nerve fibers, but at the same time some other normal ones. Most of the fine nerve bundles gave a weak reaction. Three weeks after delivery, multiple ChE fibers were found in the uterus of the albino rat. The normal appearance was, however, not regained and some nerve fibers were still fragmented. Noradrenergic (NA) nerve fibers were disintegrated and markedly reduced in number in the myometrium of the pregnant uterus of both the guinea pig and albino rat, particularly in the uterine horns that were distended by fetuses. The number of NA fibers was not significantly reduced in the tubal ends of the albino rat uterus. Three weeks after delivery, normal NA fibers were seen in the myometrium of both the albino rat and guinea pig uterus. Nerves with reduced fluorescence reaction were observed less frequently.     

Origins of Albino and Hooded Rats: Implications from Molecular Genetic Analysis across Modern Laboratory Rat Strains

Albino and hooded (or piebald) rats are one of the most frequently used laboratory animals for the past 150 years. Despite this fact, the origin of the albino mutation as well as the genetic basis of the hooded phenotype remained unclear. Recently, the albino mutation has been identified as the Arg299His missense mutation in the Tyrosinase gene and the hooded (H) locus has been mapped to the ～460-kb region in which only the Kit gene exists. Here, we surveyed 172 laboratory rat strains for the albino mutation and the hooded (h) mutation that we identified by positional cloning approach to investigate possible genetic roots and relationships of albino and hooded rats. All of 117 existing laboratory albino rats shared the same albino missense mutation, indicating they had only one single ancestor. Genetic fine mapping followed by de novo sequencing of BAC inserts covering the H locus revealed that an endogenous retrovirus (ERV) element was inserted into the first intron of the Kit gene where the hooded allele maps. A solitary long terminal repeat (LTR) was found at the same position to the ERV insertion in another allele of the H locus, which causes the so called Irish (h(i)) phenotype. The ERV and the solitary LTR insertions were completely associated with the hooded and Irish coat patterns, respectively, across all colored rat strains examined. Interestingly, all 117 albino rat strains shared the ERV insertion without any exception, which strongly suggests that the albino mutation had originally occurred in hooded rats.     

Fine structure of islet-cell innervation in the pancreas of normal and alloxan-treated rats

Summary The innervation of the islets of Langerhans of normal albino rats and of albino rats treated with several daily doses of 125 mg/kg of alloxan was studied by electron microscopy. In the normal rat, nerve endings containing either agranular vesicles (200–400 Å) alone or in combination with large granular vesicles (500–800 Å) were found on both alpha and beta cells. Infrequently a third type of nerve ending containing small granular synaptic vesicles could be observed. Bundles of unmyelinated axons were also seen, as were typical autonomic ganglion cells. Similar normal neural elements were noted in rats treated with alloxan. However, islets of alloxan-treated animals also possess large elliptical profiles which appear to be dystrophic nerve terminals. These structures most frequently contact degranulated beta cells. Islets of Langerhans fixed with zinc iodide-osmium (ZIO) reported to specifically impregnate synaptic vesicles were also studied. Synaptic vesicles of normal axons and nerve endings as well as of the dystrophic structures were filled with ZIO reactive material. These studies suggest that alloxan may induce autonomic nerve ending changes in the rat endocrine pancreas. This may result from neuronal hyperactivity in an attempt to secrete insulin from the post-alloxan insulin-depleted beta cell.     

Sleep dependent effect of dark pulses on sleep in albino and pigmented rats

Light-to-dark transitions have been found to enhance paradoxical sleep (PS) in albino rats but not pigmented rats. Furthermore, PS inducing effect of dark pulses in albino rats depends on sleep states. This study examined whether the relationship between PS and preceding non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) in pigmented Brown Norway rats was different from that in albino F344 rats and whether such a difference was associated with different responses to dark pulses in the two rat strains. Both rat strains showed a positive relationship between PS and preceding NREMS. However, only the albino F344 rats exhibited the PS inducing effect of dark pulses. Dark pulses did not alter the relationship between PS and preceding NREMS in either rat strain, and, reciprocally, nor did duration of preceding NREMS affect dark pulse-induced PS enhancement. Furthermore, this study verified that dark pulses given during NREMS in albino F344 rats specifically induced the suppression of NREMS concomitant with the enhancement of PS. This study proposed that dark pulses might inhibit NREMS and facilitate PS regulating areas concurrently in albino rats.     

How canalization can make loops: a new model of reticulated leaf vascular pattern formation

Formation of the vascular system in plant leaves can be explained by the canalization hypothesis which states that veins are formed in an initially homogeneous field by a self-organizing process between the plant hormone auxin and auxin carrier proteins. Previous models of canalization can generate vein patterns with branching but fail to generate vein patterns with closed loops. However, closed vein loops are commonly observed in plant leaves and are important in making them robust to herbivore attacks and physical damage. Here we propose a new model which generates a vein system with closed loops. We postulate that the "flux bifurcator" level is enhanced in cells with a high auxin flux and that it causes reallocation of auxin carriers toward neighbouring cells also having a high bifurcator level. This causes the auxin flux to bifurcate, allowing vein tips to attach to other veins creating vein loops. We explore several alternative functional forms for the flux bifurcator affecting the reallocation of efflux carriers and examine parameter dependence of the resulting vein pattern.     

Immunocytochemical study on the triple origin of the sphincter iris in the chick embryo

The ontogenic development of the sphincter iris has been studied by immunocytochemistry and standard staining on chick embryos from stage 25 HH to the time of hatching. We have used the monoclonal antibody 13F4, a highly specific marker of muscular cells. We have observed three different regions in the iris. In the pupillary region, immunoreactive cells are in continuous contact with the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin. In the intermediate region, the outer epithelium forms buds of pigmented cells that emigrate toward the stroma. In this epithelium cells that are totally or partially unpigmented exist, and they are 13F4 positive. In the sphincter we have observed 13F4 positive cells with melanin granules. In the ciliary region, the immunoreactivity appears in dispersed mesenchymal cells. The present findings are consistent with a triple origin of the sphincter iris in the chick embryo. This muscle is derived from the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin, the intermediate region of the outer epithelium, and from the mesenchymal cells. The cells of the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin are differentiated into smooth muscle cells, and the remaining cells form striated muscle cells. Received: 17 March 1999 / Accepted: 17 May 1999     

Generation of rat blood vasculature and hematopoietic cells in rat-mouse chimeras by blastocyst complementation

Interspecies chimera through blastocyst complementation could be an alternative approach to create human organs in animals by using human pluripotent stem cells.A mismatch of the major histocompatibility complex of vascular endothelial cells between the human and host animal will cause graft rejection in the transplanted organs.Therefore,to achieve a transplantable organ in animals without rejection,creation of vascular endothelial cells derived from humans within the organ is necessary.In this study,to explore whether donor xeno-pluripotent stem cells can compensate for blood vasculature in host animals,we generated rat-mouse chimeras by injection of rat embryonic stem cells(rESCs) into mouse blastocysts with deficiency of Flk-1 protein,which is associated with endothelial and hematopoietic cell development.We found that rESCs could differentiate into vascular endothelial and hematopoietic cells in the rat-mouse chimeras.The whole yolk sac(YS) of Flk-1~(EGFP/ECFP) rat-mouse chimera was full of rat blood vasculature.Rat genes related to vascular endothelial cells,arteries,and veins,blood vessels formation process,as well as hematopoietic cells,were highly expressed in the YS.Our results suggested that rat vascular endothelial cells could undergo proliferation,migration,and self-assembly to form blood vasculature and that hematopoietic cells could differentiate into B cells,T cells,and myeloid cells in rat-mouse chimeras,which was able to rescue early embryonic lethality caused by Flk-1 deficiency in mouse.     

Trypanosoma lewisi: comparative activity of a feral isolate in two strains of rats assessed by measurement of cell population, reproductive development and respiratory activity.

Lee C. M., Harris L. M. and Aboko-Cole G. F. 1978. Trypanosoma lewisi: comparative activity of a feral isolate in two strains of rats assessed by measurement of cell population, reproductive development and respiratory activity. International Journal for Parasitclogy8: 187–192. Comparative respiratory behaviour, population growth and host antibody formation were examined for a feral isolate of Trypanosoma lewisi grown in albino and black rats. Oxygen uptake was measured for endogenous, glucose or normal homologous rat serum substrates. Trypanosomes from albino rats respired 72% faster endogenously, 70% faster with glucose, and 60% faster with rat serum than parasites from black rats. Greater oxygen consumption of T. lewisi from albino rat hosts correlated well with the fact that the trypanosome developed greater parasitemias in albino than in black rats. Parasitemias were patent longer in albino rats and peak populations were found 2 days later in these hosts than in black rats. On the average, higher coefficients of variability in cell length continued five days longer in albino rats than in black animals. Delay in reproductive development was indicated by continued low variability in trypanosome cell sizes in albino and black rats.     

Study of the microcirculation of the wall of the stomach of white rats by the vital microscopy method]

Microcirculation of the gastric wall in the albino rat was studied by the method of vital microscopy in passing light. The conditions of the experiment permitted watching the microcirculation state during 5-6 hours. Intravital morphometry of the microcirculation bed vessels was made. The obtained data concerning the intravital angioarchitectonics of the gastric wall vascular bed were in good agreement with a conventional scheme of its blood supply. The role of arteriolevenular anastomoses in redistribution of blood within the bloodflow pathways was noted.