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The primary cilium of growth plate cartilage analyzed by multiphoton microscopy (MPM)
Author(s) -
Farnum Cornelia,
Lenox Michelle,
Williams Rebecca
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a418-a
Subject(s) - cilium , multiphoton fluorescence microscope , cartilage , chemistry , primary (astronomy) , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , optics , physics , fluorescence microscope , astronomy , fluorescence
To further understand the functional role of the primary cilium in cells of connective tissues, methodology must be developed that allows easy detection of ciliary incidence in vitro and in vivo . This is a challenge because monolayer cultures are an artificial environment for connective tissue cells and the cilium of these cells projects into the ECM rather than into the lumen of an organ. Our studies used pre‐embedment immunocytochemistry on rat growth plate cartilage reacting with antibodies previously demonstrated to be specific to proteins of the axoneme of the primary cilium in epithelial cells. The figure is from a z‐series through growth plate cartilage ~300um thick, using MPM. Two early hypertrophic zone cells show primary cilia facing each other. Only by following sequential cellular profiles can one determine the true length and orientation of the cilium in 3‐D space. Quantification of ciliary incidence in a zone‐dependent way has not been completed, but evidence suggests that primary cilia are more readily visible in hypertrophic cells compared to proliferative cells. Our goal is to further develop analytical methods using MPM to examine the incidence, orientation and molecular structure of the primary cilium from a variety of connective tissues, thus putting the exploration of the function of this organelle in connective tissues on par with that of its counterpart in epithelial tissues. NIH: AR052003‐01