Research report
Radial glia of developing human fetal spinal cord: Golgi, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study

https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-3806(81)90112-7Get rights and content

Abstract

Radial glia of the developing spinal cord were examined by Golgi, electron microscopic and immunohistochemical methods in 40 human embryos and fetuses of ovulation age 6–20 weeks. As in developing cerebrum and cerebellum, gliogenesis in the spinal cord occurs much earlier than traditionally believed. The presence of transitional forms suggests that subependymal glia originate from detached radial glia that divide and differentiate in their new location. Well-differentiated astroglia evolve from radial glia as fetal age advances.

References (22)

  • A.H. Coon et al.

    Localization of antigen in tissue cells. II. Improvements in a method for the detection of antigen by means of fluorescent antibody

    J. exp. Med.

    (1950)
  • Cited by (127)

    • Common cues wire the spinal cord: Axon guidance molecules in spinal neuron migration

      2019, Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Spinal neurons are born in the neuroepithelium in the ventricular zone (VZ) [1,2], with the ventral neurons generated slightly earlier than the dorsal ones [3]. At the onset of neurogenesis, undifferentiated neuroprogenitors initially undergo radial migration away from the ventricle, often along extended radial glial processes [4–6] (Fig. 1). Neuroprogenitors then exit the cell cycle and move out of the VZ [1,2].

    • The role of neuro-epithelial-like and radial-glial stem and progenitor cells in development, plasticity, and repair

      2018, Progress in Neurobiology
      Citation Excerpt :

      During this phase, NE cells also express a variety of intermediate filament proteins such as vimentin and in some non-rodent species, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; Mori et al., 2005). The accumulation of cytoplasmic glycogen granules that can be detecting using electron microscopy, is a defining characteristic of the transformation of NE cells to a glial phenotype (Choi, 1981). The above molecular changes mark the transition of NE to RG cells.

    • Radial glial cells: Key organisers in cns development

      2014, International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
      Citation Excerpt :

      This cell type, with its long radial process, was originally discovered spanning the foetal spinal cord by Camillo Golgi in 1885 (Rakic, 2003). Ramon Cajal originally suggested a glial identity for these cells by demonstrating their morphological similarities with astrocytes, but their glial phenotype was ultimately confirmed 60 years later when immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy showed that radial glial cells contain glycogen granules and GFAP, which are intracellular characteristics found only in glia (Choi, 1981; Levitt and Rakic, 1980). Today, radial glial cells are recognised as morphologically, biochemically and functionally distinct from other neural cell types.

    • Fetal Development of the Central Nervous System

      2012, The Human Nervous System, Third Edition
    • Roles of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in pain

      2011, Free Radical Biology and Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      In support, administration of an NR1 antisense oligonucleotide reduces c-fos expression [191]. Extracellular glutamate concentration has to be kept low enough to terminate glutamate receptor activation and to protect neurons from glutamate excitotoxicity [205–207]. Glutamate is not metabolized by extracellular enzymes, but rather has to be removed from the synaptic cleft by cellular uptake.

    • Cellular expression of the K <sup>+</sup>-Cl <sup>-</sup> cotransporter KCC3 in the central nervous system of mouse

      2011, Brain Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      These results lead us to conclude that astrocytes in the adult mouse CNS do not seem to express KCC3a. Similarly to astrocytes, radial glial cells of primate cortex contain glycogen granules (Choi, 1981) and express GFAP (Levitt and Rakic, 1980). Rodent radial glial cells hardly express any detectable levels of GFAP mRNA (Sancho-Tello et al., 1995) but express the astrocyte-specific glutamate transporter (GLAST) (Shibata et al., 1997), 3CB2 antigen (Prada et al., 1995) and brain lipid-binding protein (BLBP) (Feng et al., 1994; Feng and Heintz, 1995).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text