Bovine serum albumin conjugated with steroid hormone injected intravenously into rats can enter the hormone-target cell nuclei with its antigenicity kept intact (Nishimura and Nakano,2000). Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) such as immunoglobulin G (IgG) are found in some autoimmune diseases. To confirm immunocytochemically whether immunoglobulin G (IgG) conjugated with steroid hormone enters in the hormone-target cell nuclei, bovine IgG (bIgG) was conjugated with hydrocortisone 21-hemisuccinate. The hydrocortisone-bIgG conjugate was injected into the vascular system of adrenalectomized rats. Then the rats were killed 2 or 3 h after injection to detect bovine IgG in the hormone-target cell nuclei of the liver by fluorescein-isothiocyanate labeled-anti bovine IgG antibody under confocal laser scanning microscopy. In the liver of both rats injected with hydrocortisone-bIgG, the fluorescence was observed in not only the cytoplasm but also the nuclei of liver cells. In control rat injected with bIgG, few nuclei showed fluorescence. These results demonstrate that bovine IgG conjugated with steroid hormone can enter the hormonetarget cell nuclei of rat with its antigenicity kept intact, and suggest that antinuclear antibody in some autoimmune diseases may be transported from blood plasma into the nucleus.

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The development of the human gracilis nucleus was studied on serial sections of the brain of 9 fetuses and neonates at 18-40 weeks of gestation, a two-month-old infant and a 63-year-old adult using a microscope with a drawing tube and an image-analyzing computer system. A morphometric evaluation revealed that the human gracilis nucleus, whose neurons were distinguished from glia from 18 weeks of gestation onward, showed a gradual development in terms of the columnar volume, neuronal size and number, and revealed two kinds of phenomenon: a normal process which occur in the development of the fetus, viz. natural cell death (also called apoptosis), and a phenomenon due to yet unknown causes regarding a discrepancy between the number of neurons and the neuropil index.

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The dorsal lingual surface of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Filiform (Fi), fungiform (Fu) and vallate papillae (V) were observed. The Fi papillae were distributed over the entire dorsal surface of the tongue. The Fi papillae notably differed in morphology by their location on the tongue and could be classified into 5 types: 1) crown-like papillae,2) giant trifid papillae,3) scale-like papillae,4) small conical papillae, and 5) large conical papillae. The Fu papillae were present rounded bodies on the anterior 2/3 of the tongue. The lesser dog-faced fruit bat showed the triangular arrangement of the three V, with the apex of the triangle directed posteriorly.

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The distribution or localization of glycoconjugates in rat cerebellar cortex was investigated with 26 different kinds of lectins observed by light and electron microscopy. In paraffin-embedded tissues, PHA-L, PHA-E, DSA, WGA, ConA, LEA, LCA, PSA, and RCA-I, which mainly recognize N-linked oligosaccharide sugar structures, stained the cerebellar cortex, especially the molecular layer. PHA-L staining showed the highest selectivity for the molecular layer among these lectins. Pretreatment with N-glycanase altered the staining intensities of these lectins, whereas pretreatment with O-glycanase did not alter the intensity. In electron microscopy, the cell membrane and Golgi membranes of Purkinje cell, parallel fibers, and synaptic vesicles exhibited a positive reaction with PHA-L. Nuclear pores and synaptic vesicles were positive for WGA binding. These results suggest that there exist N-glycoside binding oligosaccharides predominantly in the cerebellar cortex, especially in the molecular layer, which sugar chains may be relevant to the synaptic transmission in the molecular layer.

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We studied the nerve fibers of the human mandibular nerve using edentulous jaw cadavers. We made nitrocellulose sections and stained them with Goto's modification of Masson-Goldner's method in order to evaluate the nerve fibers using an image-analyzer. The results showed an unusual feature: a sudden increase of axonal areas during the decade of the 80s followed by a sharp return to previous levels after that age, even though the number of nerve fibers kept decreasing with the aging process. Although the reason for this is not yet understood, the authors consider that it might be due to compensatory phenomena.

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The morphology of the iridocorneal angle in the eye of the buffalo (Bos bubalis) was studied in eighteen eyes using light and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The buffalo iridocorneal angle included the pectinate ligament, the ciliary cleft, the trabecular meshwork (uveal and corneoscleral) and the angular aqueous plexus. The pectinate ligament was prominent anteriorly and appeared as strong, thick compact structure. The strands of the pectinate ligament were short and had narrow spaces between them as observed by SEM. The ciliary cleft appeared quadrilateral and contained large amount of trabecular tissue that could be divided into two parts, the uveal part and the corneoscleral part. The uveal meshwork was the internal part of the trabecular meshwork. It occupied wide area in the anterior region and narrow area in the posterior one. It composed of thick-pigmented trabeculae in the anterior part, which became thin and loose in the posterior part. Their intertrabecular spaces were large and wide anteriorly. The corneoscleral meshwork was the external part of the trabecular meshwork. It was narrow anteriorly and widened posteriorly. Their trabeculae were non-pigmented and closely arranged and the intertrabecular spaces were small. The angular aqueous plexus consisted of four to five veins. They were located between the outer border of the corneoscleral meshwork and the inner border of the sclera. These results of the iridocorneal angle suggest important implications for understanding the glaucoma disease in buffaloes.

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