Open Access

ARTICLE

Confocal laser scanning microscopy and immunohistochemistry of cerebellar Lugaro cells

Orlando J. CASTEJÓN

Biological Research Institute “Drs. Orlando Castejón and Haydée Viloria de Castejón”. Faculty of Medicine, Zulia University, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
* Address correspondence to: Orlando J. Castejón. E-mail: ocastejo@cantv.net / fundadesarrollo@iamnet.com

BIOCELL 2013, 37(2), 29-36. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2013.37.029

Abstract

The present paper shows by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy the immunoreactivity of rat cerebellar Lugaro cells for calbindin, synapsin-I, PSD-95, GluR1, CaMKII alpha, and N-cadherin. Lugaro cells were easily characterized by their location beneath Purkinje cells. Calbindin revealed immunoreactivity in the cell body, and the axonal and dendritic processes. Synapsin-I labelled the presynaptic endings on Lugaro cells. Synapsin-I and PSD-95 immunoreactivity demonstrated the localization of presynaptic and postsynaptic endings surrounding cell soma, corresponding to afferent extrinsic and intrinsic cerebellar fi bers. GluR1 immunoreactivity of the soma and cell processes indicates that Lugaro cells have functional ionotropic glutamate receptors that regulate calcium levels. CaMKII alpha immunoreactivity of Lugaro cell soma and processes suggest its participation as a molecular switch for long-term information storage, and serving as a molecular basis of long-term synaptic memory. N-cadherin immunoreactivity was correlated with somato-somatic and somato-dendritic junctions between Lugaro cells and their synaptic connections.

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