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Junctions in the central nervous system of the cat

I. Membrane fusion in central myelin

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Summary

In male and female cats central myelin was studied using the freeze-etching technique, and after impregnation with lanthanum as a tracer. The freeze-fractured and etched faces of the myelin reveal membrane formations which in many respects resemble tight junctions. The formations consist of parallel rows of particles on one half of the membranes matched by corresponding furrows on the other membrane half. These structures occur across the width of the myelin sheath and are most common in that part of the myelin underlying the external cytoplasmic loop. They are interpreted as correlates of the radial component of the i-line which occurs in cross-sections of central myelin after potassium permanganate staining. In the paranodal zone the lanthanum-impregnated myelin displays punctate fusions between the outer leaflets of the oligodendrocytic membranes. These findings strongly suggest that tight junctions are a common feature in the central myelin. The arrangement of the membrane fusion in relation to the elements of the lamellar complex and their functional significance is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Topographische Anatomie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany

    R. Dermietzel

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  1. R. Dermietzel
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. med. H. Brettschneider on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, “Sonderforschungsbereich 114 (Bionach)”.

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Dermietzel, R. Junctions in the central nervous system of the cat. Cell Tissue Res. 148, 565–576 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221940

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221940

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