Rat Brain
Silvermintz Replace4-5 actual objective used = NA 0.75, confocal Confocal Macroscope elucidation of enkephalin, delta-opioid receptor 1 and substance P colocalization in rat brain. by Larry S. Silvermintz, Sam A. Roiko and Robert Elde, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, U.S.A.
Image of a full cross-section of an adult rat brain at the level of the rostral medulla, coronal bregma -10.5 mm. It was scanned with the Silvermintz-Elde Confocal Macroscope imaging system, which was expressly invented (patent pending) to comprehensively image anatomy at submicrometer resolution over full histological sections. The instrument employs a unique head-scanning configuration producing smooth continuous motion over fields of view up to 140 x 200 mm at 0.5 m resolution. The brain tissue was immunofluorescently labeled to show the distribution of the neurotransmitter enkephalin (ENK), its primary cognate receptor, Delta Opioid Receptor-1 (DOR1), and substance P (SP). This high-resolution print, produced on a Dirst-Dice Lambda 131 at 63.5 m pixels, contains fine detail barely visible to the naked eye. SP is present in many of the DOR1-immunoreactive fiber processes, indicating a functional connection. Enkephalin immunoreactivity is either near, or within the DOR1-positive fibers, supporting its role as an important ligand.
These high-detail, whole-section images enable comprehensive cataloging of locations and relationships, while maintaining the perspective of exact position within the overall material. The Silvermintz-Elde Confocal Macroscope is a "high-throughput imaging" tool, valuable for proteomics, mutant animal expression studies, developmental tracking, semiconductor VLSI inspection, and more meticulous biopsy analysis.
Brain Section's Dimensions: 23,500 x 17,100 pixels = 11,750 x 8,550 m
Anatomical Landmarks: pyramidal tract, reticular formation, facial nerve genu (VII), raphe magnus and pallidus, spinal trigeminal tract, Nuclei: dorsomedial spinal trigeminal, oral spinal trigeminal, vestibular, and rostral solitary tract nucleus.
Labeling Seen:
DOR1 and SP appear to coexist (yellow) in fibers running laterally between the solitary tract nucleus and a plexus of triple-immunoreactive fibers (white), where the dorsal spinal trigeminal nucleus apposes the oral spinal trigeminal nucleus. These fibers travel along the border of the oral spinal trigeminal nucleus and the dorsomedial spinal trigeminal nucleus. ENK-ir fibers appear to intermingle with DOR-SP-ir fibers, and instances of ENK-DOR-SP coexistence are also apparent.
Color legend:
GREEN: Substance P
BLUE: Leu-Enkephalin
RED: delta-Opioid Receptor
Scale bar: 1500 microns
Categories:
|
