Summary
The permeability of fenestrated capillaries in the mouse pineal gland to proteins and peptides was demonstrated by means of ultrastructural tracers. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and microperoxidase (MP) were injected intravenously and allowed to circulate for approximately 30 s, 1 min, 5 min, 1 or 2h. The tissue was then fixed by vascular perfusion or by immersion with aldehydes. In all experiments a pronounced extravasation of HRP and MP occurred. Transendothelial vesicular transport seemed to have occurred across the fenestrated capillaries. The most pronounced tracer labeling of vesicles was found after 1 min of MP- or HRP-circulation. The vesicles were uncoated and more than 70 % of the HRP-and MP-containing vesicles exhibited diameters between 50 and 110 nm. Furthermore, three other transcapillary pathways taken by the tracers are suggested: 1) via intercellular junctions, 2) through fenestrae and 3) via channels formed by fusion of vesicles with the luminal and abluminal cell membranes. Based on these results, it is assumed that the capillaries in the mouse pineal gland are also permeable to peptides synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bankston, P.W., DeBruyn, P.P.H.: The permeability to carbon of the sinusoidal lining cells of the embryonic rat liver and rat bone marrow. Amer. J. Anat. 141, 281–290 (1974)
Benson, B., Matthews, M.J., Rodin, A.E.: Studies on a non-melatonin pineal anti-gonadotrophin. Acta endocr. (Cph.) 69, 257–266 (1972)
Bouchaud, C.: Données ultrastructurales sur la perméabilité des capillaires des organes circumventriculaires du cerveau. Extr. J. Microscop. 24, 45–58 (1975)
Bruns, R.R., Palade, G.E.: Studies on blood capillaries. 1. General organization of blood capillaries in muscle. J. Cell Biol. 37, 244–276 (1968)
Clementi, F., Palade, E.: Intestinal capillaries. I. Permeability to peroxidase and ferritin. J. Cell Biol. 41, 33–58 (1969)
Dretzki, J.: Licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zum Problem der Blut-Hirn-Schranke circumventriculärer Organe der Ratte nach Behandlung mit Myofer. Z. Anat. Entwickl.-Gesch. 134, 278–297 (1971)
Ebels, I., Moszkowska, A., Scemama, A.: An attempt to separate a shepp pineal extract fraction showing antigonadotropic activity. J. neurovisc. Rel. 32, 1–10 (1970)
Ehrlich, P.: Zur therapeutischen Bedeutung der substituirenden Schwefelsäuregruppe. Ther. Mh. 1, 88–90 (1887)
Jahnke, K., Gorgas, K.: The permeability of blood vessels in the guinea pig cochlea. Anat. Embryol. 146, 21–31 (1974)
Karnovsky, M.J.: The ultrastructural basis of capillary permeability studied with peroxidase as a tracer. J. Cell Biol. 35, 213–236 (1967)
Leak, L.V.: Frozen-fractured images of blood capillaries in heart tissue. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 35, 127–146 (1971)
Leak, L.V.: The structure of lymphatic capillaries in lymph formation. Fed. Proc. 35, 1863–1875 (1976)
Ludatscher, R.M., Stehbens, W.E.: Vesicles of fenestrated and non-fenestrated endothelium. Z. Zellforsch. 97, 169–177 (1969)
Matsushima, S., Reiter, R.J.: Fine structural features of adrenergic nerve fibers and endings in the pineal gland of the rat, ground squirrel and chinchilla. Amer. J. Anat. 148, 463–478 (1977)
Muir, A.R., Peters, A.: Quintuple-layered membrane junctions at terminal bars between endothelial cells. J. Cell Biol. 12, 443–448 (1962)
Palade, G.E., Bruns, R.R.: Structural modulations of plasmalemmal vesicles. J. Cell Biol. 37, 633–649 (1968)
Pappas, G.D., Tennyson, V.M.: An electron microscopic study of the passage of colloidal particles from the blood vessels of the ciliary processes and choroid plexus of the rabbit. J. Cell Biol. 15, 227–239 (1962)
Reese, T.S., Karnovsky, M.J.: Fine structural localization of a blood-brain barrier to exogenous peroxidase. J. Cell Biol. 34, 207–217 (1967)
Simionescu, N., Simionescu, M., Palade, G.E.: Permeability of intestinal capillaries. J. Cell Biol. 53, 365–392 (1972)
Simionescu, N., Simionescu, M., Palade, G.E.: Permeability of muscle capillaries to exogenous myoglobin. J. Cell Biol. 57, 424–452 (1973)
Simionescu, N., Simionescu, M., Palade, G.E.: Permeability of muscle capillaries to small heme-peptides. Evidence for the existence of patent transendothelial channels. J. Cell Biol. 64, 586–607 (1975)
Smith, A.R., Kappers, J.A.: Effect of pinealectomy, gonadectomy, pCPA and pineal extracts on the rat parvocellular neurosecretory hypothalamic system; a fluorescence histochemical investigation. Brain Res. 86, 353–371 (1975)
Snedecor, G.W., Cochran, W.G.: Statistical methods, pp. 1–593. Iowa: Iowa State University Press 1967
Thieblot, L., Menigot, M.: Acquisitions récentes sur le facteur antigonadotrope de la glande pinéale. J. neurovisc. Rel. 10, 153–159 (1971)
van Deurs, B., Amtorp, O.: Blood-Brain barrier in rats to the hemepeptide microperoxidase. Neuroscience 3, 737–748 (1978)
Wartenberg, H., Hadziselimović, F., Seguchi, H.: Experimentelle Untersuchungen über die Passage der Blut-Gewebs-Schranke in den Zirkumventrikulären Organen des Meerschweinchengehirns. In: Verhandlungen der Anatomischen Gesellschaft, 66. Vers., Zagreb 1971. (Watzka, Max, and Hermann Voss, eds.), pp. 345–355. Jena: Gustav Fischer 1972
Westergaard, E., Brightman, M.W.: Transport of proteins across normal cerebral arterioles. J. comp. Neurol. 152, 17–44 (1973)
Williams, M.C., Wissig, S.L.: The permeability of muscle capillaries to horseradish peroxidase. J. Cell Biol. 66, 531–555 (1975)
Wislocki, G.B., Leduc, E.H.: Vital staining of the hematoencephalic barrier by silver nitrate and trypan blue, and cytological comparisons of the neurohypophysis, pineal body, area postrema, intercolumnar tubercle and supraoptic crest. J. comp. Neurol. 96, 371–413 (1952)
Wissig, S.L., Williams, M.C.: Permeability of muscle capillaries to microperoxidase. J. Cell Biol. 76, 341–359 (1978)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Møller, M., van Deurs, B. & Westergaard, E. Vascular permeability to proteins and peptides in the mouse pineal gland. Cell Tissue Res. 195, 1–15 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233673
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233673