Summary
Pulse labelling with tritiated thymidine was used to determine the time of the final division of the neuroblasts which subsequently form rat lumbar dorsal root ganglion neurones. The final division occurred during a 4 day period, the maximum frequency being on day 12 of gestation. Separation of the ganglion cells into large light neurones and small dark neurones showed that the large light neurones were formed earlier than the small dark neurones. In both cases the final divisions occurred over a period of 3–4 days, but the peak rate of formation of large neurones was on day 12, and that of the small neurones was on day 13.
Low power electron micrographs were used to measure mean cell diameter throughout development from day 11 of gestation until a postnatal age of 225 days. A marked increase in cell diameter occurred on day 15–15.5, about 3 days after the final cell divisions of the majority of the cells. The rate of growth increased just before birth, but no increase in mean cell diameter was found between day 21 of gestation and the third day postnatal. The growth was again rapid after this period until a plateau in cell diameter was reached about 33 days after birth.
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We are grateful to Miss E. Thornton for technical assistance and to the Wellcome Trust for a grant for the electron microscope.
Supported by a grant from the Wellcome Trust.
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Lawson, S.N., Caddy, K.W.T. & Biscoe, T.J. Development of rat dorsal root ganglion neurones. Cell Tissue Res. 153, 399–413 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229167
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229167