Summary
Distinctive cytoplasmic inclusions, termed nematosomes, have been identified in the neurons, but not in the glial cells of the substantia nigra in the rat and the cat. These organelles which lack a limiting membrane consist of an entanglement of more or less tightly packed microfilaments or filamentous strands. According to the tridimensional arrangement of their filamentous components, as well as to their size and boundary, the nematosomes usually display several structural types: (a) round or oval, dense, filamentous bodies; (b) reticular inclusions with or without excavated centers; (c) ill-defined small aggregates of fine filaments. At higher magnification, each microfilament or filamentous strand, whatever the type of nematosome, is itself composed of similar subunits, about 20 Å in diameter. It should be pointed out that the latter subunits may be fine deposits of heavy metal on structural components of nematosomes, which appear to be similar in every structure. The ultrastructural organization of a given nematosome may vary from one portion to another. The functional significance of such structural variations from one nematosome to another, and even within a given nematosome, could not be elucidated by means of our ultrastructural study, although additional cytochemical and radioautographic work may throw light on this problem. These cytoplasmic bodies are present in the perikaryon of most neurons and one or more inclusions are usually observed in the same nerve cell. They are infrequently seen in the dendritic or axonal processes. The nematosomes are closely associated with the other cytoplasmic organelles filling the ground substance of neurons by means of microfilaments projecting from their surface. These cytoplasmic inclusions are, however, most frequently linked to surrounding free ribosomes and rough ER profiles. The association of free ribosomes with excavated nematosomes, which in turn contain neurofilaments in their core, suggests that these structures consist, partly at least, of precursor material which is assembled into the structural proteins of the neurofilaments after being synthesized by the neighbouring ribosomes. No special relationship with the neurotubules has been noticed. Nematosomes have also been found in structural relationship with other organelles, i.e. the smooth tubules and vesicles, the Golgi apparatus, the coated vesicles, the lysosomes and the mitochondria. The nematosome may be also closely associated with the subsynaptic web of axosomatic synapses and these two cytoplasmic components display many structural similarities. In the light of these and previously reported observations, it would appear that nematosomes are not incidental cytoplasmic inclusions, but common organelles of certain types of neurons.
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This work was supported by research grant MA-3448 from the Medical Research Council of Canada.
The author wishes to thank Doctor Jean-G. Lafontaine for his helpful criticism during the preparation of the manuscript. The skilful technical assistance of Mrs. Marjolaine Turcotte is gratefully acknowledged.
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Le Beux, Y.J. An ultrastructural study of a cytoplasmic filamentous body, termed nematosome, in the neurons of the rat and cat substantia nigra. Z.Zellforsch 133, 289–325 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307241
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307241