The effect of axotomy and denervation on calmodulin content in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion of the rat

Histochemical detection of age- and injury-related changes in signal transduction in the superior cervical ganglion

The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is thought to be a good model for correlation studies of morphology, function and metabolism of neurons. The SCG has a relatively simple organization, it can be easily manipulated in situ, and it maintains synaptic transmission and a high metabolic rate during in vitro incubations. The histology and structure of SCG neurons have been characterized in detail, and physiologic stimuli, injury and aging have all been found to induce changes in the SCG morphology. During the last decade, research in the field of signal transduction has greatly expanded. Several signal transduction pathways have been identified that participate in the regulation of neurotransmitter synthesis, gene expression, neuronal excitability and growth factor responses of sympathetic neurons. We have been interested in using the SCG to study some of the second and third messengers involved in converting external stimuli received by sympathetic neurons into cellular short- and long-term events. Using immunohistochemistry, we have investigated protein kinase C-subtypes and the immediate early gene product Fos in the SCG, and characterized some of the changes induced by injury and aging in these messenger molecules. We will review the results and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using histological methods in the study of signal transduction in sympathetic neurons.

Effects of axotomy, deafferentation, and reinnervation on sympathetic ganglionic synapses: a comparative study

The main physiological and morphological features of the synapses in the superior cervical ganglia of mammals and the last two abdominal ganglia of the frog sympathetic chain are summarized. The effects of axotomy on structure and function of ganglionic synapses are then reviewed, as well as various changes in neuronal metabolism in mammals and in the frog, in which the parallel between electrophysiological and morphological data leads to the conclusion that a certain amount of synaptic transmission occurs at "simple contacts." The effects of deafferentation on synaptic transmission and ultrastructure in the mammalian ganglia are reviewed: most synapses disappear, but a number of postsynaptic thickenings remain unchanged. Moreover, intrinsic synapses persist after total deafferentation and their number is strongly increased if axotomy is added to deafferentation. In the frog ganglia, the physiological and morphological evolution of synaptic areas is comparable to that of mammals, but no intrinsic synapses are observed. The reinnervation of deafferented sympathetic ganglia by foreign nerves, motor or sensory, is reported in mammals, with different degrees of efficiency. In the frog, the reinnervation of sympathetic ganglia with somatic motor nerve fibers is obtained in only 20% of the operated animals. The possible reasons for the high specificity of ganglionic connections in the frog are discussed.

Calmodulin distribution in peripheral nerve: an EM immunocytochemical study

We used electron microscopic immunocytochemistry to study the distribution of calmodulin in rat sciatic nerve. Calmodulin immunoreactivity was found throughout the axoplasmic matrix, but particularly along microtubules. Schwann cell cytoplasm and nuclei demonstrated immunoreactivity, while compact myelin did not. There was particularly intense immuno-gold deposition within Schmidt Lanterman clefts. At the nodes of Ranvier, calmodulin appeared preferentially in the paranodal region, along the apposition of the axolemma to the paranodal loops of myelin and extending into the paranodal loops. The presence of calmodulin immunoreactivity along microtubules supports biochemical and pharmacological evidence of calmodulin involvement in regulating the assembly and phosphorylation of microtubules, and in fast axonal transport along microtubules. The co-localization of paranodal calmodulin immunoreactivity with Ca-ATPase activity demonstrated cytochemically (Mata et al., Brain Research, in press) supports the notion that the paranodal Ca-ATPase activity may be regulated by calmodulin, and agrees with the in vitro biochemical evidence for Ca-ATPase of other cells.