Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1977 Apr 1;73(1):27–46. doi: 10.1083/jcb.73.1.27

Disappearance of afferent and efferent nerve terminals in the inner ear of the chick embryo after chronic treatment with beta-bungarotoxin

PMCID: PMC2109891  PMID: 856835

Abstract

Beta-Bungarotoxin(beta-BT) was applied to chick embryos at 3-day intervals beginning on the 4th day of incubation to see the effect of chronically and massively applied beta-BT, and to investigate the hair cell-nerve relationship in the developing inner ear by electron microscopy. On the 10th day of incubation, nerve terminals had achieved contact with differentiating hair cells, but the acoustico-vestibular ganglion cells of treated animals were decreased in number to one-third of those of the control. By the 14th day, most of the ganglion cells degenerated and disappeared, and only a few nerve terminals were seen in the neuroepithelium. At this time, most of the hair cells lacked synaptic contacts with nerve terminals; but their presynaptic specialization remained intact and they showed evidence of continuing differentiation. On the 17th day, the acoustico-vestibular ganglion cells were completely absent. All the hair cells were devoid of afferent and efferent innervation but were fully differentiated on the 21st day. Beta-BT was found to have a similar destructive effect on cultured spinal ganglion cells. The present study shows that beta-BT kills acoustico-vestibular and spinal nerve cells when applied chronically and massively during development. Furthermore, the differentiation of hair cells proceeds normally, and their presynaptic specializations are maintained when nerve terminals are absent during later developmental stages.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (9.2 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adinolfi A. M. The organization of paramembranous densities during postnatal maturation of synaptic junctions in the cerebral cortex. Exp Neurol. 1972 Mar;34(3):383–393. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(72)90036-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bunge M. B., Bunge R. P., Peterson E. R. The onset of synapse formation in spinal cord cultures as studied by electron microscopy. Brain Res. 1967 Dec;6(4):728–749. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(67)90129-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CHANG C. C., LEE C. Y. ISOLATION OF NEUROTOXINS FROM THE VENOM OF BUNGARUS MULTICINCTUS AND THEIR MODES OF NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCKING ACTION. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1963 Jul 1;144:241–257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chang C. C., Chen T. F., Lee C. Y. Studies of the presynaptic effect of -bungarotoxin on neuromuscular transmission. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1973 Feb;184(2):339–345. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chang C. C., Huang M. C. Comparison of the presynaptic actions of botulinum toxin and beta-bungarotoxin on neuromuscular transmission. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1974;282(2):129–142. doi: 10.1007/BF00499028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. FRIEDMANN I. Electron microscope observations on in vitro cultures of the isolated fowl embryo otocyst. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1959 Mar 25;5(2):263–268. doi: 10.1083/jcb.5.2.263. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gleisner L., Wersäll J. Experimental studies on the nerve--sensory cell relationship during degeneration and regeneration in ampullar nerves of the frog labyrinth. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1975;333:1–28. doi: 10.3109/00016487509124265. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hanna R. B., Hirano A., Pappas G. D. Membrane specializations of dentritic spines and glia in the weaver mouse cerebellum: a freeze-fracture study. J Cell Biol. 1976 Mar;68(3):403–410. doi: 10.1083/jcb.68.3.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hirano A., Dembitzer H. M. Cerebellar alterations in the weaver mouse. J Cell Biol. 1973 Feb;56(2):478–486. doi: 10.1083/jcb.56.2.478. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hámori J. The inductive role of presynaptic axons in the development of postsynaptic spines. Brain Res. 1973 Nov 23;62(2):337–344. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(73)90694-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jones D. P., Singer M. Neurotrophic dependence of the lateral-line sensory organs of the newt, Triturus viridescens. J Exp Zool. 1969 Aug;171(4):433–442. doi: 10.1002/jez.1401710408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jorgensen J. M., Flock A. Non-innervated sense organs of the lateral line: development in the regenerating tail of the salamander Ambystoma mexicanum. J Neurocytol. 1976 Feb;5(1):33–41. doi: 10.1007/BF01176181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Orr M. F. Histogenesis of sensory epithelium in reaggregates of dissociated embryonic chick otocysts. Dev Biol. 1968 Jan;17(1):39–54. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(68)90088-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Silverstein H., Makimoto K. Superior vestibular and "singular nerve" section--animal and clinical studies. Laryngoscope. 1973 Sep;83(9):1414–1432. doi: 10.1288/00005537-197309000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Smith C. A., Rasmussen G. L. Degeneration in the efferent nerve endings in the cochlea after axonal section. J Cell Biol. 1965 Jul;26(1):63–77. doi: 10.1083/jcb.26.1.63. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Strong P. N., Goerke J., Oberg S. G., Kelly R. B. beta-Bungarotoxin, a pre-synaptic toxin with enzymatic activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jan;73(1):178–182. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.1.178. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sytkowski A. J., Vogel Z., Nirenberg M. W. Development of acetylcholine receptor clusters on cultured muscle cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Jan;70(1):270–274. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.1.270. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Szamier R. B., Bennett M. V. Rapid degeneration of ampullary electroreceptor organs after denervation. J Cell Biol. 1973 Feb;56(2):466–477. doi: 10.1083/jcb.56.2.466. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. ZACKS S. I., METZGER J., SMITH C. W., BLUMBERG J. M. Localization of ferritin-labelled botulinus toxin in the neuromuscular junction of the mouse. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1962 Oct;21:610–633. doi: 10.1097/00005072-196210000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. ZELENA J. DEVELOPMENT, DEGENERATION AND REGENERATION OF RECEPTOR ORGANS. Prog Brain Res. 1964;13:175–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zalewski A. A. Combined effects of testosterone and motor, sensory, or gustatory nerve reinnervation on the regeneration of taste buds. Exp Neurol. 1969 Jun;24(2):285–297. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(69)90022-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Zalewski A. A. Regeneration of taste buds after transplantation of tongue and ganglia grafts to the anterior chamber of the eye. Exp Neurol. 1972 Jun;35(3):519–528. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(72)90122-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES