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Autometallographic (AMG) Nerve Tracing: Demonstration of Retrograde Axonal Transport of Zinc Selenide in Zinc-Enriched (ZEN) Neurons

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Modern Methods in Analytical Morphology

Abstract

Autometallography (AMG) is the technique whereby minute (>0.2 nm) crystal lattices of gold or the selenides and sulphides of silver, mercury and zinc are enlarged by silver amplification to dimensions that can be visualized in the light microscope. The main advantages of the method are its exquisite sensitivity and demonstration of the precise location of the metal lattices which initiate the amplification. Several different AMG protocols are available for both light and electron microscopical use. The basic principles of AMG are demonstrated in Figure 1. These apply to all methods of silver amplification. In short, silver ions adhere to the initiating crystal lattices and are subsequently reduced to silver atoms. The developing process continues as long as there is an adequate supply of silver ions and reducing molecules in the vicinity of the expanding silver grains.

As a practical example of the use of AMG, silver amplification of zinc selenide crystal lattices which have been retrogradely transported and located in lysosomes of zinc enriched neurons (ZEN) will be described. These lattices are created in synaptic vesicles of ZEN neurons by application of exogenous selenium, either as intra-cerebral application of sodium selenide or intraperitoneal (IP) injections of sodium selenite. One to two hours after an IP injection, the chelatable zinc in the synaptic vesicles of the ZEN terminals will have been transformed to zinc selenide crystal lattices. AMG development then provides a detailed map of the ZEN terminal fields throughout the brain. If the animal is allowed to survive for 24 hours, some of the ZEN vesicles (or their content of zinc selenide) have been retrogradely transported to the perinuclear lysosomes, where crystal lattices can be silver amplified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology The Steno Institute, University of Aarhus, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Professor Gorm Danscher

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  1. Professor Gorm Danscher
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Deborah Research Institute, Browns Mills, New Jersey, USA

    Jiang Gu

  2. Institute of Pathological Anatomy, Salzburg, Austria

    Gerhard W. Hacker

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Danscher, G. (1994). Autometallographic (AMG) Nerve Tracing: Demonstration of Retrograde Axonal Transport of Zinc Selenide in Zinc-Enriched (ZEN) Neurons. In: Gu, J., Hacker, G.W. (eds) Modern Methods in Analytical Morphology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2532-5_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2532-5_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6079-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2532-5

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