Skip to main content
Log in

Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural studies of hyaline inclusions in sporadic motor neuron disease

  • Regular Papers
  • Published:
Acta Neuropathologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

We investigated hyaline inclusion bodies (HI) immunocytochemically and ultrastructurally in six cases of sporadic motor neuron disease (MND). All HI contained large amounts of ubiquitin and some HI were stained at the core or the center with anti-neurofilament antibody, with the surrounding halo unstained. No HI were stained with antibodies raised against cytoskeletal proteins such as high-molecular weight microtubule-associated proteins and phosphorylated tau. Ultrastructurally, HI were chiefly composed of filaments measuring about 20 nm in diameter thicker than neurofilaments, and contained fine granules and frequently one or more of four characteristic profiles, i.e., small electron-dense materials resembling Bunina bodies, bundles of tubular filaments measuring approximately 20 nm in diameter, large electron-dense cores, and focal accumulations of randomly arranged neurofilaments. Hyaline inclusions can be regarded as one of the characteristic markers for sporadic MND as well as familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Hyaline inclusions have a markedly heterogeneous ultrastructure and, therefore, differences in immunoreactivity with antineurofilament antibodies are not unexpected.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chou SM (1979), Pathognomy of intraneuronal inclusions in ALS. In: Tsubaki T, Toyokura Y (eds) Amyotrophic lateral slcerosis. University Park Press, Baltimore, pp 135–176

    Google Scholar 

  2. Chou SM (1988) Motorneuron inclusions in ALS are heavily ubiquitinated (abstract). J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 47:334

    Google Scholar 

  3. Duffy PE, Tennyson VM (1965) Phase and electron microscopic observations of Lewy bodies and melanin granules in the substantia nigra and locus caeruleus in Parkinson's disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 24:398–414

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hirano A, Kurland LT, Sayre GP (1967) Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A subgroup characterized by posterior and spinocerebellar tract involvement and hyaline inclusions in the anterior horn cells. Arch Neurol 16:232–243

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hirano A, Nakano I, Kurland LT, Mulder DW, Holley PW, Accomanno G (1984) Fine structural study of neurofibrillary changes in a family with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 43:471–480

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hughes JT, Jerrome D (1971) Ultrastructure of anterior horn motor neurons in the Hirano-Kurland-Sayre type of combined neurological system degeneration. J Neurol Sci 13:389–399

    Google Scholar 

  7. Ihara Y, Nukina N, Miura R, Ogawara M (1987) Phosphorylated tau protein is integrated into paired helical filaments in Alzheimer's disease. J Biochem 99:1807–1811

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kato T, Katagiri T, Hirano A, Sasaki H, Arai S (1988) Sporadic lower motor neuron disease with Lewy body-like inclusions: a new subgroup? Acta Neuropathol 76:208–211

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kato T, Katagiri T, Hirano A, Kawanami T, Sasaki H (1989) Lewy body-like hyaline inclusions in sporadic motor neuron disease are ubiquitinated. Acta Neuropathol 77:391–396

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kuroda S, Kuyama K, Morioka E, Ohtsuki S (1986) Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions. A case closely akin to familial ALS. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 24:31–37

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kusaka H, Imai T, Hashimoto S, Yamamoto T, Maya K, Yamasaki M (1988) Ultrastructural study of chromatolytic neurons in an adult-onset sporadic case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 75:523–528

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kuzuhara S, Mori H, Izumiyama N, Yoshimura M, Ihara Y (1988) Lewy bodies are ubiquitinated: a light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical study. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 75:345–353

    Google Scholar 

  13. Lowe J, Lennox G, Jefferson D, Morrell K, McQuire D, Gray T, Landon M, Doherty FJ, Mayer RJ (1988) A filamentous inclusion body within anterior horn neurons in motor neuron disease defined by immunocytochemical localization of ubiquitin. Neurosci Lett 94:203–210

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mizusawa H, Hirano A (1987) Lower motor neuron disease associated with a focal onion bulb formation in an anterior spinal root. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 26:309–311

    Google Scholar 

  15. Mizusawa H, Matsumoto S, Yen S-H, Hirano A, Rojas-Corona RR, Donnenfeld H (1989). Focal accumulation of phosphorylated neurofilaments within anterior horn cell in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol 79:37–43

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mori H, Kondo J, Ihara Y (1987) Ubiquitin is a component of paired helical filaments in Alzheimer's disease. Science 235:1641–1644

    Google Scholar 

  17. Munoz DG, Greene C, Perl DP, Selkoe DJ (1988) Accumulation of phosphorylated neurofilaments in anterior horn motoneurons of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 47:9–18

    Google Scholar 

  18. Murayama S, Ookawa Y, Mori H, Nakano I, Ihara Y, Kuzuhara S, Tomonaga M (1989) Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural study of Lewy body-like hyaline inclusions in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol 78:143–152

    Google Scholar 

  19. Murayama S, Mori H, Ihara Y, Bouldin TW, Suzuki K, Tomonaga M (1990) Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural studies of lower motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ann Neurol 27:137–148

    Google Scholar 

  20. Nukina N, Ihara Y (1983) Immunocytochemical study on senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease. I. Preparation of an anti-microtubule-associated proteins (MAPS) antiserum and its specificity. Proc Jpn Acad [B] 59:284–287

    Google Scholar 

  21. Oda M, Akagawa N, Tabuchi Y, Tanabe H (1978) A sporadic juvenile case of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with neuronal intracytoplasmic inclusions. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 44:211–216

    Google Scholar 

  22. Sasaki S, Yamane K, Sakuma H, Maruyama S (1989) Sporadic motor neuron disease with Lewy body-like hyaline inclusions. Acta Neuropathol 78:555–560

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schmidt ML, Carden MJ, Lee M-Y, Trojanowski JQ (1987) Phosphate dependent and independent neurofilament epitopes in the axonal swellings of patients with motor neuron disease and controls. Lab Invest 56:282–294

    Google Scholar 

  24. Takahashi K, Nakamura H, Okada E (1972) Hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Histochemical and electron microscopic study of hyaline inclusions in motor neurons. Arch Neurol 27:292–299

    Google Scholar 

  25. Tanaka S, Yase Y, Yoshimasu H (1980) Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ultrastructural study of intraneuronal hyaline inclusion material. Shinkei Kenkyunoshinpo 24:386–387 (abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Yamaguchi H, Hirai S, Tanaka M, Shoji M (1984) Basic studies on the application of anti-human neurofilament antibody on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Neuropathology 5:377–384

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sasaki, S., Maruyama, S. Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural studies of hyaline inclusions in sporadic motor neuron disease. Acta Neuropathol 82, 295–301 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00308815

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00308815

Key words

Navigation