A Seasonal and Age-Related Study of Interstitial Cells in the Pineal Gland of Male Viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus)

FABRICIO IVÁN BUSOLINI; GABRIELA JUDITH ROSALES; VERÓNICA PALMIRA FILIPPA; FABIÁN HEBER MOHAMED

ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Año: 2017 vol. 300 p. 1847 - 1857

1932-8486

hroughout the year, with periods of maximal activity in winter and minimal activity in summer. The aim of this work is to analyze the interstitialcells (IC) in the pineal gland of male viscachas in relation to season andage. The S-100 protein, glio-fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and vimentinwere detected in adult and immature animals by immunohistochemistry(IHC). Double-IHC was also performed. The S-100 protein was localizedwithin both, IC nucleus and cytoplasm. GFAP was present only in the cytoplasm. Vimentin was expressed in some IC, besides endothelial cells, andperivascular spaces. In the adult males, the morphometric parameters analyzed for the S-100 protein and GFAP exhibited seasonal variations withhigher values of immunopositive area percentage in winter and lower values in summer, whereas the immature ones showed the lowest values forall the adult animals studied. Colocalization of S-100 protein and GFAPwas observed. The IC exhibited differential expression for the proteinsstudied, supporting the hypothesis of the neuroectodermal origin. The ICgenerate an intraglandular communication network, suggesting its participation in the glandular activity regulation processes. The results of doubleIHC might indicate the presence of IC in different functional stages, probably related to the needs of the cellular microenvironment. The morphometric variations in the proteins analyzed between immature and adultviscachas probed to be more salient in the latter, suggesting a direct relationship between the expression of the S-100 protein and GFAP, and animalage.