This thesis studies sensory innervation in mammals using an organotypic co-culture of spinal cord-dorsal root ganglion and skeletal muscle of embryonic rat, the histological changes of reinnervated muscle spindles after nerve section and the localisation of the calcium-binding protein calretinin in cat mechanoreceptor organs. The immediate importance of this project concerns the better understanding of how the normal process of development differs from reinnervation following nerve lesion or section. A range of classical and well defined materials and methods as been used in the work described. The thesis Is divided into Ove chapters: Chapter 1 reviews aspects of the mechanosensory organs which have been studied experimentally in relation to their sensory innervation, including proprioceptive muscle spindle development, reinnervation, and finally, the presence of the calcium-binding protein, calretinin in the mechanoreceptor organs. This provides an introduction and background to the work. Chapter 2 describes the organotypic organisation of spinal-cord, dorsal-root ganglia and skeletal muscle co-culture in vitro. Results show that slices of the spinal-cord, dorsal- root ganglia survive well under experimental conditions and can live for several weeks with feeding every 1-3 days. Sensory neurons can develop and grow in a medium without any additional promoting factor. The presence of structurally identifiable synapses indicates that other neurons are also maintained in culture and have functional connections. In the organotypic culture new muscle fibres can form either from the original explant or from the additional explant. In chapter 3 I describe two abnormal endings present in spindles of the tenuissimus of the cat that had been reinnervated following section of the nerve more than one year previously. The reconstruction of the endings of these two spindles supports the hypothesis of modulation of the primary-ending response by the mechanical properties of the intrafusal muscle fibres, rather than by intrinsic properties of the la afferent itself. They further indicate that, in the absence of a la afferent, intrafusal-fibre differentiation can be maintained by a group II afferent. Chapter 4 concerns the localisation of the calcium-binding protein calretinin, which was studied immunohistochemically in the abductor digiti quinti medius muscle of the cat hind limb. The calretinin immunoreactivity was found in some intrafusal fibres, the primary endings and the cqjsule of the muscle spindles and the sensory terminals of tendon organs and Paciniform corpuscles. The present findings contradict a recent hypothesis that calretinin is associated with rapid adaptation, but suggest that calretinin has a specific function in muscle proprioceptors. Finally, Chapter 5 outlines the conclusions of this study and gives some suggestions for continuation of the work in the future.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 250 - 269). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV) neurons are inhibitory interneurons (INs) that play important roles in the modulation of excitatory pyramidal neurons. They are found in many species are and throughout the neocortex. However, their characteristics vary between species and brain region. The aim of this study was to compare the density, distribution, and inhibitory signaling of CR and PV neurons in monkey primary visual cortex (V1), monkey lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), mouse V1 and mouse frontal cortex (FC). Coronal brain slices from each of the species and brain regions were stained using immunohistochemistry and then the slices were scanned using high-resolution confocal imaging. High resolution image stacks were used to count the somata of CR and PV. The vesicular gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter (VGAT), CR and PV particles were analyzed to quantify these inhibitory markers in monkey V1, LPFC, and mouse V1 and FC. There were significant differences in the laminar distribution of CR and PV neurons in that CR neurons were concentrated in L2/3 and PV neurons were concentrated in L2-5. In L2/3, Monkey V1 had more CR neurons than did monkey LPFC. Furthermore, there were a greater number of PV neurons in monkey and mouse V1 compared to monkey LPFC and mouse FC. In L2/3, monkey V1 had the highest number of PV neurons. In L5, there significantly greater PV neurons in mouse V1 compared to monkey V1. There was significantly higher density of CR neurons in the upper middle layers of Monkey V1 compared to mouse V1 and monkey LPFC compared to mouse FC. The upper middle layers of monkey V1 had significantly higher density of PV neurons compared to monkey LPFC and mouse V1. There was significantly higher density of VGAT particles in monkey V1 and LPFC compared to mouse V1 and FC, which indicates more inhibitory synapses. There were significantly more VGAT+ boutons colocalized with PV+ boutons than CR+ boutons. Finally, discriminant analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis show that species is the largest separating factor between monkey V1, LPFC and mouse V1 and FC. Mouse V1 and FC are very similar, and monkey V1 and LPFC are dissimilar from one another. This data, united with comparative data on pyramidal neurons, demonstrates that neurons have differences between species, and monkeys have more regional specialization than mice.

Malignt mesoteliom är en ovanlig och aggressiv cancerform. Den är vanligast i pleura och kallas då pleuralt mesoteliom. Vanligaste orsaken till utveckling av pleuralt mesoteliom är exponering för asbest. Insjuknande patienter har dålig prognos och begränsade behandlingsmöjligheter. Röntgen kan i ett första stadie ge diagnos av sjukdomen. Oftast behövs också en biopsi tas för fastställande av diagnos. Även provtagning av pleuravätskan kan ge värdefull diagnostisk information. Immunhistokemi är en viktig tilläggsanalys för diagnos med biopsier och cellblock. Immunhistokemi innebär färgning med antikroppar. För pleuralt mesoteliom kan exempelvis antikropparna PD-L1 och calretinin användas för diagnostisering. I denna studie färgades 10 parade pleurabiopsier och cellblock från pleuravätska från patienter med malignt mesoteliom. Antikropparna PD-L1 och calretinin användes. Syftet var att utvärdera uttrycket av PD-L1 och calretinin. Alla infärgade glas undersöktes i ljusmikroskop. För PD-L1 ansågs enbart membranfärgning som positivt infärgad och för calretinin ansågs cytoplasmatisk och/eller kärnfärgning som positiv. Procentuellt antal positiva tumörceller undersöktes vid två cutoff värden, ≥1 % och ≥10 %. Procentuellt antal <1 % vid cutoff ≥1 % och procentuellt antal <10 % vid cutoff ≥10 % ansågs negativt. Detta gällde för båda antikropparna. Antal positiva och negativa biopsier samt cellblock och konkordansen redovisades. Overall percentage agreement (OPA), Cohen’s kappa (κ) och konfidensintervall (CI) beräknades också. Resultatet visade på lägre antal positiva färgningar för cellblocken jämfört med biopsierna för båda antikropparna. För konkordansen visades att den vara lika för PD-L1 och calretinin vid cutoff ≥1 % men högre för PD-L1 än för calretinin vid cutoff ≥10 %. / Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer. It is most common in the pleura, called pleural mesothelioma. The most common reason for developing pleural mesothelioma is exposure to asbestosis. Patients that get sick have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. X-ray can in a first stadium give diagnose of the disease. A biopsy is often necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Even sampling of pleural fluid can give valuable diagnostic information. Immunohistochemistry is a common additional analysis for diagnosis with biopsy and cell block. Immunohistochemistry implies staining with antibodies. For example, for pleural mesothelioma the antibodies PD-L1 and calretinin can be used for diagnosis. In this study 10 paired pleural biopsies and cell blocks from pleural fluid from patients with malign mesothelioma were immunostained. The study aimed to evaluate expression of PD-L1 and calretinin. All the stained glasses were evaluated by a light microscope. For PD-L1, only membranous staining was considered positive and for calretinin cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining was considered positive. Percentage number of positive tumor cells were evaluated at two cutoff values, ≥1 % and ≥10 %. Percentage number <1 % at cutoff ≥1 % and percentage number <10 % at cutoff ≥10 % were considered negative. The same criteria were applied for both antibodies. The number of positive and negative biopsies as well as cell blocks and the concordance were reported. Overall percentage agreement (OPA), Cohen’s kappa (κ) and confidence interval (CI) was also calculated. Result showed lower number of positive staining for the cell blocks than for the biopsies for both antibodies. The concordance was shown to be equal for PD-L1 and calretinin at cutoff ≥1 % but higher for PD-L1 than for calretinin at cutoff ≥10 %.

The members of the ubiquitously expressed E-protein subfamily of basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) transcription factors, E12/E47, SEF2-1 and HEB, have important roles as regulators of gene expression in various differentiation processes, including lymphocyte development and myogenesis. In myogenesis, E-proteins are proposed to function as obligate heterodimer partners for members of the MyoD family of muscle-specific bHLH transcription factors. The calcium ion (Ca2+) is a universal cellular messenger involved in regulation of a variety of cellular functions, including transcription. The Ca2+-bound form of the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) has been shown to inhibit DNA binding of E-proteins, but not tissue specific bHLH transcription factors, through direct physical interaction with the DNA binding basic sequence. The main focus of this thesis is on the role of Ca2+-binding proteins in regulation of bHLH transcription factors. Solution structure analysis of CaM in complex with the CaM-binding basic sequence of an E-protein revealed a novel type of protein-protein interaction with alternative binding modes in a complex of a CaM dimer surrounding the dimer of the E-protein sequence. This model for the interaction was further supported by mutational analysis, since every amino-acid substitution in the CaM binding basic sequence of E12 only partially affected the interaction with CaM. The mechanism of Ca2+/CaM regulation of transcriptional activation by E-proteins was studied using a cell culture system. CaM overexpression inhibited transcriptional activation by E12, E47 and SEF2-1 but not by MyoD. Ca2+/CaM inhibition of DNA binding in vitro directly correlated with the inhibitory effects of Ca2+ stimulation and CaM overexpression on transcription in vivo in a series of E12 basic sequence mutants. Furthermore, in vivo DNA binding of E12, but not a CaM resistant mutant of E12, was inhibited by overexpression of CaM. The data indicate that Ca2+/CaM can inhibit transcriptional activation by E-proteins through formation of a CaM-E-protein complex that can not bind DNA. An in vitro myogenesis system was used to investigate the potential role of the CaM-E-protein interaction in regulation of differentiation. CaM resistant mutants of E12 were inhibitory in MyoD initiated myogenic conversion of transfected fibroblasts, and inducers of intracellular Ca2+ activated, and Ca2+-channel blockers inhibited, transcriptional activation by E12, but not by a CaM resistant mutant of E12, with MyoD. The data support a model that Ca2+/CaM plays a role in initiation of myogenic differentiation through inhibition of E-protein dimers that can function as competitors to the CaM resistant MyoD/E-protein heterodimers required for myogenesis. The potential involvement of the Ca2+-binding calretinin proteins in regulation of bHLH transcription factors was also studied. Calretinin and the alternative splice variant calretinin-22k have been proposed to function as Ca2+-buffer proteins. Calretinin expression is restricted primarily to neuronal tissues. Calretinin and calretinin-22k are also found expressed in colon cancers, but not in normal colon tissue, and a role for calretinins in tumorigenesis has been proposed. We show that calretinins can inhibit DNA binding and transcriptional activation by E12 through basic sequence interaction. Endogenous E12/E47 and calretinin co-localize in a subset of cells in a proliferating colon cancer cell line and can be co-immunoprecipitated from the cell extract. A model is proposed in which calretinin overexpression can contribute to tumorigenesis through inhibition of the anti-proliferative function of E-proteins. The role of the E-protein E2-2 in lymphocyte development was studied using genetically altered mice with mosaic deletion of the E2-2 gene. The proportion of cells with a functional E2-2 allele was increased in the B- and T-lymphocyte populations, indicating a role for E2-2 not only in B-cell development, as reported before, but also in T-cell development.

Submitted by Simone Antunes Terra (simoneaterra@gmail.com) on 2016-03-03T14:12:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação para Mestrado pós defesa.pdf: 1735647 bytes, checksum: fb9582adc999dfc3e76bf360a3409af1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Manzano de Almeida (smanzano@marilia.unesp.br) on 2016-03-04T14:18:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 terra_sa_me_bot.pdf: 1735647 bytes, checksum: fb9582adc999dfc3e76bf360a3409af1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-04T14:18:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 terra_sa_me_bot.pdf: 1735647 bytes, checksum: fb9582adc999dfc3e76bf360a3409af1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-01 / Introdução: A Displasia Neuronal Intestinal, tipo B (DNI-B) é uma doença neuromuscular gastrointestinal caracterizada por alterações complexas do sistema nervoso entérico. Seu diagnóstico depende da análise histopatológica de biópsias do reto, com mudanças dos critérios diagnósticos ao longo dos anos, o que dificulta a prática diagnóstica. O Consenso de Frankfurt, 1990, estabeleceu critérios histológicos qualitativos para diagnóstico de DNI-B, como hiperganglionose e hiperplasia do plexo nervoso submucoso. Meier-Ruge et al. 2004, 2006, definiu o diagnóstico de maneira quantitativa: mais de 20% de gânglios nervosos gigantes na submucosa, com mais de 8 neurônios cada, em 25 gânglios examinados, e em crianças maiores de 1 ano. Objetivos: Analisar as características morfológicas do sistema nervoso entérico em pacientes com DNI-B segundo os critérios do Consenso de Frankfurt de 1990, e testar a aplicabilidade dos critérios numéricos propostos por Meier-Ruge et al 2004. Pacientes e Métodos: Foram analisadas retrospectivamente peças cirúrgicas de cólon distal de 29 pacientes, com idade de 0 a 16 anos, com diagnóstico de DNI-B, em cortes histológicos processados para histologia convencional pela hematoxilina e eosina (H&E) e para imuno-histoquímica da calretinina. Resultados: Apenas 1 paciente contemplou estes critérios numéricos. Houve imunopositividade para calretinina nos neurônios, porém a contagem de neurônios foi menor em relação ao H&E (p=0,002). Não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos etários de crianças menores e maiores de 1 ano em relação à hiperganglionose (p=0,789), número de neurônios (p=0,359), gânglios com sinais de imaturidade (p=0,664) e neurônios hipogênicos (p>0,999). Conclusões: Os critérios numéricos recomendados em cortes de 15µm, corados por painel histoquímico específico, apresentam aplicabilidade limitada quando transpostos à análise histopatológica convencional. Houve concordância pobre nos critérios analisados entre a H&E e a calretinina. Em relação à idade, nosso estudo mostrou que crianças maiores de 1 ano podem apresentar os mesmos aspectos histológicos de imaturidade neuronal que crianças menores de 1 ano, questionando a necessidade de um critério de idade para o diagnóstico da DNI-B. / Introduction: Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia type B (INDB) is a gastrointestinal neuromuscular disease characterized by complex changes in the enteric nervous system. The diagnosis depends on the histopathological analysis of rectal biopsies and the diagnostic criteria have changed over the years, making it difficult to diagnostic practice. The Frankfurt Consensus, 1990, established qualitative criteria for the histological diagnosis of INDB, such as gigant ganglia and hyperplasia of submucosal nerves. Meier-Ruge et al. 2004, 2006, defined quantitative criteria: over 20% of giant ganglia, with more than 8 nerve cells each, on 25 ganglia examined, and in children older than one year. Objectives: Analyze the morphological characteristics of the enteric nervous system in patients with INDB according to the Frankfurt Consensus Criteria 1990 and test the applicability of the numerical criteria proposed by Meier-Ruge et al. 2004. Patients and Methods: Surgical specimens of distal colon from 29 patients, aged 0-16 years old, diagnosed with INDB, in histological sections processed for conventional histology by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and for immunohistochemistry of calretinin, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Only one patient met these numerical criteria. There was immunostaining for calretinin in neurons but the neurons count was lower in relation to H&E (p=0.002). There were no significant differences between the age groups of children younger and older than 1 year old in relation to hyperganglionosis (p=0.789), number of neurons (p=0.359), ganglion with immaturity (p=0.664) and hypogenic neurons (p>0.999). Conclusions: The numerical criteria recommended for 15μm cut, stained with specific histochemical panel, have limited applicability when transferred to conventional histopathology. There was poor agreement on the criteria analyzed between H&E and calretinin. Regarding the age, our study showed that children older one year old may present the same histological features of neuronal immaturity as children younger one year old, challenging the need for an age criterion for the diagnosis of INDB.

Similarities between the acanthomatous epulis and ameloblastomas resulted in debate regarding the nature and origin of the acanthomatous epulis found in dogs. In an attempt to elucidate the origin and character of the acanthomatous epulides, this study aimed to find suitable cell markers to identify odontogenic epithelium versus oral epithelium in developing dog teeth in order to use in future research on the pathogenesis and pathology of odontogenic neoplasms in dogs. As specific markers for odontogenic epithelium have not been described in dog tissue, proposed markers of odontogenic epithelium of human and rat tissues were tested on developing dog teeth. Keratin 14, keratin 19, amelogenin, p75 neurotrophin receptor and calretinin have been proposed as markers for inner enamel epithelium and/or ameloblasts in human and rat tissue and was therefore included in this study. Keratin 14 and keratin 19 can not be regarded as specific markers of odontogenic epithelium as various other types of epithelium also stained positive with these markers. Amelogenin could be a promising marker to distinguish between odontogenic tumours and non-odontogenic tumours as it was only detected in odontogenic tissues in this study. However, amelogenin has also been observed in other tissues in dogs and rats, and therefore further studies on this protein will be needed to elucidate the expression profile of amelogenin in odontogenic versus non-odontogenic tissues in dogs. p75 Neurotrophin receptor expression was restricted to certain regions of the inner enamel epithelium and no staining was observed in other epithelial cells. It therefore seems to be a promising marker to differentiate between odontogenic and non-odontogenic epithelium, but the widespread staining observed in the mesenchymal tissue makes differentiation between odontogenic and non-odontogenic stromal elements impossible. Calretinin staining was observed in the alveolar epithelial cells directly overlying the developing tooth germ, proposed as the oral epithelium where the dental lamina takes origin from, as well as the dental laminae and Serres rests. No staining was observed in the rest of the oral epithelium and it can therefore be proposed that calretinin could be a useful marker to distinguish between odontogenic and non-odontogenic epithelial cells. In light of the results found in this study on foetal tissue, the expression profile may be different in adult tissue. Odontogenic tumours in adult dogs may originate from remnants of odontogenic tissue like Serres rests and Malassez rests. It is therefore proposed that this study be repeated on adult dog tissue with specific reference to Serres rests, Malassez rests and the associated gingiva Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Oral Pathology and Oral Biology / unrestricted

Hirschsprung’s disease is a common pathology in pediatric surgery. Besides, long-term outcome of surgically-treated patients remains a crucial issue. The management of Hirschsprung’s disease has remarkably advanced over the years, but difficulties persist particularly in the developing countries (such as Vietnam), where essential diagnostic procedures, such as preoperative histopathological exploration techniques/ facilities (mainly for acetylcholinesterase staining), or adequate postoperative management and follow-up requirements are unavailable.We, therefore, contemplated to work-out a relevant histo-diagnostic approach to overcome these constraints that limit our diagnostic approaches, namely, in Vietnam, and we introduced a “less-demanding” diagnostic approach, namely calretinin immunohistochemical staining which is known to be adequate for formalin-fixed tissues (and thus not necessitating frozen section equipment). We thus used calretinin immunohistochemistry in a prospective study on a large cohort of Vietnamese HD cases. Results showed that rectal suction biopsy using calretinin immunohistochemistry provides an effective histopathological diagnostic tool that can replace AChE and provides a valuable evaluating approach for both preoperative and postoperative management.In addition, we also studied long-term outcome in operated patients and impact of postoperative morbidities on their quality of life. Indeed, a long-term multidisciplinary management with dedicated procedures such as anorectal manometry is essentially required for patients with severe defecation disorders. / Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques (Médecine) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

No description available.

Neurodegenerative diseases are associated with extensive physical and mental debilitation, significant costs to the healthcare system, as well as great emotional and financial burden to the patients, their families and care providers. Despite progress in our understanding of the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases, the vast majority are still currently untreatable. Synapses are important pathological targets in a range of disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and lysosomal storage disorders, such as Batten disease. Loss of synaptic connections and impairments in synaptic function are present in the initial stages of neurodegenerative conditions and throughout the course of disease progression. Therefore, synaptoprotective strategies are regarded as a potentially key factor in the development of effective therapies aimed at preventing or halting neurodegeneration. Despite the continuously growing body of research elucidating the molecular mechanisms that modulate synaptic function and vulnerability, the contribution of these pathways to neurodegenerative diseases is far from fully characterized. In addition, there are frequent issues regarding the applicability of the research performed using in vitro and small animal models of disease to develop therapeutic strategies for use in human patients. In the work described in this thesis, we initially validated the involvement of a selection of key synaptic targets, previously identified as regulators of synaptic degeneration in lower animal models, including mice and Drosophila, in a large animal model of neurodegenerative disease: CLN5 Batten sheep. Subsequently, we explored two of these individual synaptic protein targets in more detail (calretinin and α-synuclein), to further investigate their contribution to synaptic function and stability. Calretinin is a poorly characterized protein, primarily known for its calcium buffering capacities and high levels of expression in a subpopulation of interneurons. In this work, we show calretinin is expressed in previously unreported cell populations, including motor axons and synapses from the peripheral nervous system, and that it is enriched in synapses in vitro. Furthermore, we show calretinin responds dynamically to synaptic activity and is directly involved in neurodegenerative pathways, as demonstrated by its ability to influence the course of Wallerian degeneration and apoptotic cell death. α-synuclein plays a central role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease and contributes to the maintenance of synaptic transmission and mitochondrial function. However, questions still remain about how to effectively manipulate α- synuclein to obtain therapeutic benefits. Therefore, we sought to explore downstream targets of α-synuclein in order to uncover new pathways through which this protein may influence synaptic stability. Using proteomics on mice lacking α-synuclein and in vitro cell systems we identified sideroflexin 3 (sfxn3). We show sfxn3 is localized at the inner mitochondrial membrane and that it functions outside the main canonical pathways of mitochondria energy production. In addition, overexpression of sfxn3 in Drosophila led to a significant loss of synaptic boutons at the level of the neuromuscular junction, suggesting regulated levels of sfxn3 are important for the maintenance of synaptic connections. Altogether, the work developed in this thesis provides novel insights into pathways regulating synaptic stability and function. We not only provide evidence that the molecular targets studied are affected in a large animal model of neurodegenerative disease, and are therefore likely to be relevant to studies in human conditions, but we also uncover two new molecular targets capable of independently regulating synaptic form and function.