Joshi S, Levatte M A, Dekaban G A, Weaver L C
John P. Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Neuroscience. 1995 Apr;65(3):893-903. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(94)00512-4.
Control of sympathetic preganglionic neurons appears to be mediated, in part, through polysynaptic pathways using spinal interneurons. To identify spinal interneurons antecedent to adrenal sympathetic preganglionic neurons, we injected herpes simplex virus type 1 into the adrenal gland of hamsters as this virus is an effective trans-synaptic tracer of neural pathways. After a three day survival period, immunocytochemistry was used to visualize virus-infected spinal cord cells. Infected sympathetic preganglionic neurons with somata that were either kite-shaped, elliptical or fusiform and that had extensive dendrite arbors were identified as well as a group of smaller round cells with finer processes. For comparison, in additional hamsters, labelling with the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold and histochemical reactions for the enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase were used to identify sympathetic preganglionic neurons. Sympathetic preganglionic neurons identified with Fluoro-Gold or herpes virus were present mostly in the nucleus intermediolateralis, pars intermediolateralis and nucleus intermediolateralis, pars funicularis of the spinal cord. The smaller herpes virus-infected cells were found mostly medial to the preganglionic neurons in lamina VII and also dorsally in lamina V of the spinal cord. Assessing immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein demonstrated that the smaller herpes virus-infected cells were not reactive astrocytes. Furthermore, these cells were immunoreactive for two neuronal markers, neuron-specific enolase and for microtubule-associated protein 2. These findings suggest that these smaller round cells with finer processes are distinct from sympathetic preganglionic neurons and astrocytes and may be interneurons antecedent to the sympathetic preganglionic neurons.
交感神经节前神经元的控制似乎部分是通过利用脊髓中间神经元的多突触通路介导的。为了识别肾上腺交感神经节前神经元之前的脊髓中间神经元，我们将1型单纯疱疹病毒注入仓鼠的肾上腺，因为这种病毒是神经通路的一种有效的跨突触示踪剂。在三天的存活期后，使用免疫细胞化学方法来观察病毒感染的脊髓细胞。识别出了被感染的交感神经节前神经元，其胞体呈风筝形、椭圆形或梭形，具有广泛的树突分支，以及一组具有更细突起的较小圆形细胞。作为比较，在另外的仓鼠中，使用逆行示踪剂荧光金标记和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸黄递酶的组织化学反应来识别交感神经节前神经元。用荧光金或疱疹病毒识别出的交感神经节前神经元大多存在于脊髓的中间外侧核、中间外侧部和中间外侧核索状部。较小的被疱疹病毒感染的细胞大多在脊髓第VII层节前神经元的内侧以及第V层的背侧被发现。评估胶质纤维酸性蛋白的免疫反应性表明，较小的被疱疹病毒感染的细胞不是反应性星形胶质细胞。此外，这些细胞对两种神经元标志物，即神经元特异性烯醇化酶和微管相关蛋白2具有免疫反应性。这些发现表明，这些具有更细突起的较小圆形细胞不同于交感神经节前神经元和星形胶质细胞，可能是交感神经节前神经元之前的中间神经元。
