Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate

Alterations produced by iodoacetate in visual cells have been studied under the electron microscope. Lesions of the outer segments of the rods are visible as early as 3 hours after a single injection of 20 mg. iodoacetate per kg. body weight. After 6 hours the changes are more marked and consist th...

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Main Authors: Lasansky, Arnaldo, De Robertis, Eduardo
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The Rockefeller University Press 1959
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2224643/
id pubmed-2224643
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-22246432008-05-01 Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate Lasansky, Arnaldo De Robertis, Eduardo Article Alterations produced by iodoacetate in visual cells have been studied under the electron microscope. Lesions of the outer segments of the rods are visible as early as 3 hours after a single injection of 20 mg. iodoacetate per kg. body weight. After 6 hours the changes are more marked and consist then of disorganization, vesiculation, and lysis of the rod sacs. The inner segments of most rod cells show swelling and vacuolization of the matrix, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi complex. The mitochondria of the ellipsoid show a tendency to disintegrate. In some inner segments the changes consist primarily in an increase in density of the matrix and deposition of a granular material. The rod synapses are also affected, showing lysis of the synaptic vesicles and alterations of the synaptic membrane. With a second injection of 20 mg. iodoacetate per kg. body weight, all these changes become more marked and lead to complete destruction of the rod cells. The cones seem more resistant than the rods. A single injection produces no visible changes in the outer or inner segments of the cones. At cone synapses, however, there are changes consisting of fusion of synaptic vesicles and other membranous material to form large concentric membranes characteristic of myelin figures. A second dose of the drug causes complete destruction of the cone cells. All these, and other submicroscopic changes, are discussed in relation to various hypotheses put forward to explain the mode of action of iodoacetate on visual cells. The pronounced alterations of submicroscopic intracellular membranes suggest that the locus of action of iodoacetate may be a component widely dispersed throughout the visual cells and related, in some way, to the maintenance of these lipoprotein structures. The Rockefeller University Press 1959-03-25 /pmc/articles/PMC2224643/ /pubmed/13654444 Text en Copyright © Copyright, 1959, by The Rockefeller Institute
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Lasansky, Arnaldo
De Robertis, Eduardo
spellingShingle Lasansky, Arnaldo
De Robertis, Eduardo
Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
author_facet Lasansky, Arnaldo
De Robertis, Eduardo
author_sort Lasansky, Arnaldo
title Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
title_short Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
title_full Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
title_fullStr Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
title_full_unstemmed Submicroscopic Changes in Visual Cells of the Rabbit Induced by Iodoacetate
title_sort submicroscopic changes in visual cells of the rabbit induced by iodoacetate
description Alterations produced by iodoacetate in visual cells have been studied under the electron microscope. Lesions of the outer segments of the rods are visible as early as 3 hours after a single injection of 20 mg. iodoacetate per kg. body weight. After 6 hours the changes are more marked and consist then of disorganization, vesiculation, and lysis of the rod sacs. The inner segments of most rod cells show swelling and vacuolization of the matrix, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi complex. The mitochondria of the ellipsoid show a tendency to disintegrate. In some inner segments the changes consist primarily in an increase in density of the matrix and deposition of a granular material. The rod synapses are also affected, showing lysis of the synaptic vesicles and alterations of the synaptic membrane. With a second injection of 20 mg. iodoacetate per kg. body weight, all these changes become more marked and lead to complete destruction of the rod cells. The cones seem more resistant than the rods. A single injection produces no visible changes in the outer or inner segments of the cones. At cone synapses, however, there are changes consisting of fusion of synaptic vesicles and other membranous material to form large concentric membranes characteristic of myelin figures. A second dose of the drug causes complete destruction of the cone cells. All these, and other submicroscopic changes, are discussed in relation to various hypotheses put forward to explain the mode of action of iodoacetate on visual cells. The pronounced alterations of submicroscopic intracellular membranes suggest that the locus of action of iodoacetate may be a component widely dispersed throughout the visual cells and related, in some way, to the maintenance of these lipoprotein structures.
publisher The Rockefeller University Press
publishDate 1959
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2224643/
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