Ultrastructural of degenerating axons. (A–D)
Transmission EM. Transverse sections of 9-day-old N-1 (A),
301L-1 (B), and 337M-1 (C and
D) lines. Arrows show normal axons in A, mildly degenerative
axons in B, and severely degenerating disoriented axons in C
and D. V, vacuolar clearing of axoplasm. Spherical, osmophilic
protein aggregates (arrowheads) were evident (D). (E and
F) Preembedding immuno-EM of 337M-1 animals by using
antibody 17026. The arrow shows immuno-silver-enhanced particles that identify
tau-labeled structures. Degenerating axons with collapsed membranous profiles
(onion skin lesions) are indicated by an asterisk and contain amorphous
aggregates labeled by anti-tau antibodies. (Scale bars = 500 nm in
A–D and 100 nm in E and F.)