Reelin, a glycoprotein secreted by Cajal-Retzius cells, is crucial for cortex lamination and cell positioning. Some peripheral reelin expression has also been reported. Here we describe in developing rat and human and in adult rat very definite reelin immunolocalization in two cell types. Reelin was present in endothelial cells of lymphatic vessels, but not of blood vessels. Reelin was also detected in stellate (Ito) cells of the liver as shown by immunoelectron microscopic examination. The immunlocalization observed in adult tissues indicates a broader role of reelin beyond its previously demonstrated role in neuronal development.
BackgroundSkin biopsy is the most relevant tool to diagnose small-fiber neuropathy. A well-documented normal dataset for intraepidermal nerve fiber in the distal leg is required to improve its diagnostic value.MethodsThree hundred healthy subjects were enrolled in the study, after clinical and biological screening to exclude neurological and systemic pathologies. A distal leg biopsy was taken and intraepidermal nerve fiber density after protein gene product-9.5 immunocytochemistry with brightfield microscopy was determined. Morphological variations of intraepidermal nerve fibers, previously described in small-fiber neuropathies, were analyzed. One hundred biopsies were also analyzed at the ultrastructural level.FindingsThe median number of fibers was lower in men compared to women and decreased with age. Using statistical modeling taking into account age and gender, we calculated the 5th percentile of intraepidermal nerve fiber density as follows: 7.6156–0.0769 x age (years) + 1.5506 x gender (woman = 1; man = 0). We observed a low frequency of large swellings or horizontal branchings but an increasing frequency of small swellings of intraepidermal nerve fibers and irregular distribution along the dermal-epidermal junction with age. Axonal diameter of unmyelinated fibers of the papillary dermis did not vary with age or gender. Ultrastructural analysis also showed that fiber endings in close apposition to Merkel cells should not be mistaken for small-fiber swellings.ConclusionsOur dataset allows accurate calculation of the normal density of intraepidermal nerve fibers for each year of age and provides original morphological observations that improve the diagnostic value of skin biopsy in the distal leg for small-fiber neuropathy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.