Quantitative electron microscopic study of the intracellular localization of wheat germ agglutinin in retinal neurons

Journal Article · Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 1986 · J. Comp. Neurol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.902540303· OSTI ID:6859891

Rhodes, C H; Stieber, A; Gonatas, N K

Previous work has established that, following endocytosis, wheat germ agglutinin, like a number of other plasma membrane bound ligands, is transported to the Golgi apparatus-complex. Previous studies that provided qualitative information about the intracellular distribution of internalized wheat germ agglutinin used techniques that precluded any quantitative conclusions about the relative magnitude of the labeling of endosomes, lysosomes, and the Golgi apparatus-complex. Using quantitative ultrastructural autoradiography, this study compares the time course and relative magnitude of labeling of various intracellular compartments to the labeling in the Golgi area. Fifteen minutes after intraocular injection, wheat germ agglutinin is confined to the inner surface of the retina and the immediate subsurface neuropil with little labeling of the retinal ganglion cell perikarya. Thirty minutes after injection, the plasma membrane (6.97 +/- 1.17), endosomes (10.27 +/- 3.98), smooth vesicles and tubules (1.94 +/- 1.66), and lysosomes (2.42 +/- 1.21) of the retinal ganglion cells are labeled, while the Golgi apparatus-complex is not labeled (0.29 +/- 0.25). The relative labeling density of the plasma membrane and endosomes decreases somewhat during the next 90 minutes (plasma membrane, 4.76 +/- 0.67; endosomes, 7.23 +/- 2.02), while the labeling density of smooth vesicles and tubules and of lysosomes rises (smooth vesicles and tubules, 5.56 +/- 0.94; lysosomes, 7.76 +/- 1.56). The Golgi apparatus-complex, which is unlabeled at 30 minutes, is weakly labeled at 2 hours (1.26 +/- 0.28).

• Research Organization: Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• OSTI ID: 6859891
• Journal Information: J. Comp. Neurol.; (United States), Vol. 3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AGGLUTININS
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
ORGANOIDS
LABELLING
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
NERVE CELLS
RATS
RETINA
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
ANTIBODIES
BODY
BODY AREAS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
EYES
FACE
HEAD
MAMMALS
MICROSCOPY
ORGANS
RODENTS
SENSE ORGANS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques