The tanycyte of the rat median eminence. I. Synaptoid contacts.

The present ultrastructural study proves the existence of nerve terminals closely apposed to the plasmalemmata of tanycytes in the rat median eminence. Several of these "axo-tanycytic" endings display remarkable accumulations of agranular endoplasmic reticulum in the form of pleomorphic vesicles which are closely apposed on either side of the plasma membrane of each cell compartment. Some of these vesicular profiles give the impression of structural continuity across both membrane systems. This phenomenon is discussed in the context of being a potential substratum for communication between both cell compartments.