Morphological Evidence of an Altered Process of Synaptic Transcytosis in Adult Rats Exposed to Ethanol

Abstract

The present study suggests the possibility that the alteration of the synaptic structure induced by ethanol exposure can lead to the neuronal transcytosis of materials including proteins which is different from the normal vesicular exocytosis involved in chemical synaptic transmission.

Secretion-related structures of hypothalamo-hypophysial terminals in the rat posterior pituitary

“…In this point, "apocrine-like process" seems to reveal functional similarities to "apocrine-like structure" which our evidence indicated. Furthermore, in the present study the protrusion called "apocrine-like structure" is quite similar to that of axodendritic and axosomatic terminals of the vagus nerve in our previous experiments of Rab3A-siRNA-or ethanol-treated rats (6,7). It is reported exactly in ethanol-treated rats receiving WGA-HRP injection into the vagus nerve that "apocrine-like structure" of these Fig.…”

“…Such animals also had hypothalamus injected with 4% WGA-HRP on the both sides. The animals used in the experiment of this group showed blood alcohol concentration at the end of the treatment period ranging from 1.2 to 2.3 mg/ml as reported in our previous study (7).…”

“…This low expression was assumed to modulate the level of transport of proteins from pre-synaptic terminals to post-synaptic neurons (6). Furthermore, similar alter- ation of terminals was induced by ethanol exposure (7). The effects of ethanol exposure on neurons are reported to be associated with marked decrease in numerical densities of dendritic spines (28), decrease in number of synaptic vesicles in pre-synaptic terminals (29), thicker post-synaptic densities (30) and cytoskeletal changes (31)(32)(33).…”

“…They suggested its mechanism to be "diacrine secretion" which was characterized by passing through cell membrane. With respect to the non-vesicular transport, our recent studies in Rab3A-siRNA-and ethanol-treated rats also indicated alteration of membrane of the vagus nerve terminals in the nucleus of solitary tract and it was called "apocrine-like structure" which was quite different from normal vesicular exocytosis (5)(6)(7). On the basis of its morphological characteristic, it was hypothesized that this structure possibly plays an important role in the process of synaptic transport of materials including proteins.…”

A Highly Efficient Recombinant Laccase from the Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica and Its Application in the Hydrolysis of Biomass

“…Lignin is redistributed and hemicellulose is partially hydrolyzed and solubilized, making cellulose more accessible to enzymes [12]. In contrast, this pretreatment generates some soluble inhibitory components, which can affect enzymatic hydrolysis as well as fermentation steps [12,13,14]. Therefore, the facile removal of these inhibitory compounds would aid subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and improve the overall sugar and fermentation process.…”