0000000000363154
AUTHOR
Marcos Arturo Martínez Banaclocha
Ultrastructural Pathology of Anaplastic and Grade II Ependymomas reveals Distinctive Ciliary Structures - Electron Microscopy Redux
Ependymoma tumors likely derive from the ependymal cells lining the CNS ventricular system. In grade II ependymomas, tumor cells resemble typical ependymocytes, while anaplastic ependymomas are poorly differentiated. We studied three grade II and one anaplastic ependymoma, focusing on the ciliary structures. To unambiguously characterize the ultrastructure and number of cilia, we performed electron microscopy serial section analysis of individual cells. Differentiated ependymomas contained large basal bodies and up to three cilia, and lacked centrioles. Anaplastic ependymoma cells showed instead two perpendicularly oriented centrioles and lacked cilia or basal bodies. These findings could c…
N-acetylcysteine protects against age-related increase in oxidized proteins in mouse synaptic mitochondria.
Since it has been proposed that oxidized protein accumulation plays a critical role in brain aging, we have investigated the effect of a thiolic antioxidant on protein carbonyl content in synaptic mitochondria from female OF-1 mice. At 48 weeks of age, a control group was fed standard food pellets and another group received pellets containing 0.3% (w/w) of N-acetylcysteine. A 24-week treatment resulted in a significant decrease in protein carbonyl content in synaptic mitochondria of the N-acetylcysteine-treated animals as compared to age-matched controls.