Skip to main content
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1978 Jul 1;78(1):36–46. doi: 10.1083/jcb.78.1.36

Form of the postsynaptic density. A serial section study

PMCID: PMC2110167  PMID: 670296

Abstract

Through the use of serial sectioning of dog cerebral cortex tissue, holes or perforations could be revealed in the larger postsynaptic densities (PSDs), in confirmation of the earlier work of Peters and Kaisermann-Abramof (1969. Z. Zellforsch. Mikrosk. Anat. 100:487-506). These holes appeared in serial sections which happened to be cut both parallel and normal to the plane of the synaptic junction. Cleft material was absent in that part of the synaptic cleft opposite this hole. Somestimes the presynaptic membrane opposite the hole was indented into the presynaptic cell. In addition, most of the synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic cell close to the membrane were clustered at that part of the membrane opposite the edge of the density disk. The meaning of the hole and of the other features mentioned above for the function of the density is not known at present.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (5.0 MB).

Selected References

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

  1. Akert K., Moor H., Pfenninger K., Sandri C. Contributions of new impregnation methods and freeze etching to the problems of synaptic fine structure. Prog Brain Res. 1969;31:223–240. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)63241-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blomberg F., Cohen R. S., Siekevitz P. The structure of postsynaptic densities isolated from dog cerebral cortex. II. Characterization and arrangement of some of the major proteins within the structure. J Cell Biol. 1977 Jul;74(1):204–225. doi: 10.1083/jcb.74.1.204. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cohen R. S., Blomberg F., Berzins K., Siekevitz P. The structure of postsynaptic densities isolated from dog cerebral cortex. I. Overall morphology and protein composition. J Cell Biol. 1977 Jul;74(1):181–203. doi: 10.1083/jcb.74.1.181. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GRAY E. G. Axo-somatic and axo-dendritic synapses of the cerebral cortex: an electron microscope study. J Anat. 1959 Oct;93:420–433. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GRAY E. G. Electron microscopy of presynaptic organelles of the spinal cord. J Anat. 1963 Jan;97:101–106. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gray E. G., Guillery R. W. Synaptic morphology in the normal and degenerating nervous system. Int Rev Cytol. 1966;19:111–182. doi: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)60566-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gray E. G. Synaptic fine structure and nuclear, cytoplasmic and extracellular networks: The stereoframework concept. J Neurocytol. 1975 Jun;4(3):315–339. doi: 10.1007/BF01102116. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Peters A., Kaiserman-Abramof I. R. The small pyramidal neuron of the rat cerebral cortex. The synapses upon dendritic spines. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1969 Sep 22;100(4):487–506. doi: 10.1007/BF00344370. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pfenninger K., Akert K., Moor H., Sandri C. The fine structure of freeze-fractured presynaptic membranes. J Neurocytol. 1972 Sep;1(2):129–149. doi: 10.1007/BF01099180. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Pfenninger K., Sandri C., Akert K., Eugster C. H. Contribution to the problem of structural organization of the presynaptic area. Brain Res. 1969 Jan;12(1):10–18. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(69)90051-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES