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Paranodal Schwann cell mitochondria in spinal roots of the cat. An ultrastructural morphometric analysis

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Journal of Neurocytology

Abstract

We have calculated the number of paranodal Schwann cell mitochondria in adult feline ventral and dorsal lumbar spinal roots using ultrastructural serial section analysis. Distinct accumulations of paranodal mitochondria were noted in nerve fibres more than 4-5 mm in diameter. The calculated number of paranodal mitochondria increased linearly with fibre diameter from a few hundred up to 20 000-30 000 per node. A linear increase in the number of paranodal mitochondria per node also appeared as a function of nodal variables such as ‘nodal axon membrane area’, ‘nodal Schwann cell membrane area’, and ‘node gap extracellular volume’. In large fibres (D=15-18 mm), a calculated number of about 20 000 paranodal Schwann cell mitochondria were accumulated at each node of Ranvier and related to nodal axon membrane area of about 20 mm2. Our calculations indicate that, on the average, 1000 paranodal Schwann cell mitochondria with a total volume of 6.7 mm3, a total outer membrane area of 250 mm2 and a total inner membrane area of 580 mm2 projected to each mm2 of the nodal axon membrane via the nodal Schwann cell brush border.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Section of Neuroanatomy, S-413 90, Goteborg, Sweden

    C.-H Berthold & K. P Gatzinsky

  2. MEDNET (The Computer Laboratory of the Medical Faculty), Goteborg University, Medicinaregatan 7B, S-413 90, Goteborg, Sweden

    M Rydmark

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  1. M Rydmark
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  2. C.-H Berthold
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  3. K. P Gatzinsky
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Rydmark, M., Berthold, CH. & Gatzinsky, K.P. Paranodal Schwann cell mitochondria in spinal roots of the cat. An ultrastructural morphometric analysis. J Neurocytol 27, 99–108 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006995205504

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