Electron microscopy of glial cells of the central nervous system in the crab Ucides cordatus

Invertebrate glial cells show a variety of morphologies depending on species and location. They have been classified according to relatively general morphological or functional criteria and also to their location. The present study was carried out to characterize the organization of glial cells and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brazilian journal of medical and biological research 1999-03, Vol.32 (3), p.327-331
Main Authors: Allodi, S, Taffarel, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Axons - ultrastructure
BIOLOGY
Brachyura
Central Nervous System - ultrastructure
crustaceans
cytochemistry
Darkness
electron microscopy
Extracellular Matrix
glial cells
Light
MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL
Microscopy, Electron
Neuroglia - ultrastructure
Ucides cordatus
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Summary:Invertebrate glial cells show a variety of morphologies depending on species and location. They have been classified according to relatively general morphological or functional criteria and also to their location. The present study was carried out to characterize the organization of glial cells and their processes in the zona fasciculata and in the protocerebral tract of the crab Ucides cordatus. We performed routine and cytochemical procedures for electron microscopy analysis. Semithin sections were observed at the light microscope. The Thiéry procedure indicated the presence of carbohydrates, particularly glycogen, in tissue and in cells. To better visualize the axonal ensheathment at the ultrastructural level, we employed a method to enhance the unsaturated fatty acids present in membranes. Our results showed that there are at least two types of glial cells in these nervous structures, a light one and a dark one. Most of the dark cell processes have been mentioned in the literature as extracellular matrix, but since they presented an enveloping membrane, glycogen and mitochondria--intact and with different degrees of disruption--they were considered to be glial cells in the present study. We assume that they correspond to the perincurial cells on the basis of their location. The light cells must correspond to the periaxonal cells. Some characteristics of the axons such as their organization, ensheathment and subcellular structures are also described.
ISSN:0100-879X
1414-431X
0100-879X
1414-431X
DOI:10.1590/S0100-879X1999000300013