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Ultrastructural evidence of calcium involvement in experimental autoimmune gray matter disease
Author(s) -
Alexianu Maria E.,
Manole Emilia,
Engelhardt Joseph I.,
Appel Stanley H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4547(20000401)60:1<98::aid-jnr10>3.0.co;2-b
Subject(s) - calcium , ultrastructure , endoplasmic reticulum , pathogenesis , calcium metabolism , calcium in biology , biology , cytoplasm , pathology , anatomy , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology
Experimental studies have suggested that increased calcium and inappropriate calcium handling by motoneurons might have a significant role in motoneuron degeneration. To further define the involvement of calcium in motoneuron loss we used the oxalate‐pyroantimonate technique for calcium fixation and monitored the ultrastructural distribution of calcium in spinal motoneurons in experimental autoimmune gray matter disease (EAGMD). In cervical and hypoglossal motoneurons from animals with relatively preserved upper extremity and bulbar function, increased calcium precipitates were present in the cytoplasm as well as in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex without significant morphologic alterations. In surviving lumbar motoneurons of animals with hindlimb paralysis, however, there was massive morphological destruction of intracellular organelles but no significant accumulation of calcium precipitates. These findings suggest that altered calcium homeostasis is involved in motoneuron immune‐mediated injury with increased calcium precipitates early in the disease process and decreased to absent calcium precipitates later in the pathogenesis of motoneuron injury. J. Neurosci. Res. 60:98–105, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.