Search results for "Rat Pineal Gland"
showing 4 items of 14 documents
"Synaptic" ribbons and spherules of the rat pineal gland: day/night changes in vitro?
1982
In the present study pineal glands of rats aged 69–71 days were studied in vivo and in vitro with respect to day/night changes of “synaptic” ribbons and spherules. It was found that ribbons outnumber spherules by a factor of 3. In vivo, both ribbons and spherules show a roughly 3-fold increase in number at 1 a.m. when compared to 1 p.m. Up to 39 h in vitro, the two structures in question did not reveal day/night differences in amount, suggesting that diurnal rhythmicity of the gland did apparently not persist in organ culture. After 3 h in organ culture, the spherules, but not the ribbons, showed a striking increase in number, showing that ribbons and spherules may be governed by different …
Plasticity of synaptic ribbons of the rat pineal gland in vitro — Minor effects of electrical stimulation
2003
Synaptic ribbons (SRs) of mammalian pinealocytes exhibit day/night changes in number and size, changes that are apparently regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus via postganglionic sympathetic nerve fibres. Since the neural control of SR changes is far from clear and as pinealocytes produce action potentials, we undertook to investigate whether electrical stimulation affects SR changes. Isolated rat pineal glands removed during the daytime were kept in vitro for 0, 30, 60, 90 or 120 min, with or without continuous electrical stimulation (1 mA, 1 Hz), followed by the quantification of SR profiles (SRPs) by transmission electron microscopy. SRs were categorised as to whether they lay less t…
Expression of Nitric Oxide Synthase I Determines the Strength of Adrenergic Cyclic GMP Response in the Rat Pineal Gland
1997
In the rat pineal gland the adrenergic cGMP response is not static but changes during postnatal development and depends on environmental lighting conditions. Since the adrenergic cGMP transduction is mediated by stimulation of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase I (NOS I), we investigated whether changes in the strength of adrenergic cGMP response coincide with the expression of NOS I. Using immunoblot analysis, we found that the increase in adrenergic cGMP transduction in the second postnatal week coincides with enhanced NOS I expression. Similarly, we observed that changes in the intensity of adrenergic cGMP transduction under different environmental lighting conditions correspond to NOS I e…
Occurrence and regional distribution of striated muscle fibers in the rat pineal gland
1978
In a total of 96 rat pineals studied 31 were found to contain striated muscle fibers or their precursors. The muscle fibers were most frequently present in the stalk region and more frequently found in the left than in the right hemisphere. Size measurements revealed that the lengths of pineal muscle cell nuclei differ only slightly from those of the sphincter muscle of the iris. However, the yellowish appearance of pineal muscle cell nuclei under darkfield investigation, a phenomenon observed in all muscular tissues of mesenchymal origin and connective tissue cells, may support the hypothesis that pineal musculature is of mesenchymal rather than ectodermal origin.