Chapter 13 Stereological Analysis of Microtubules in Cells with Special Reference to Their Possible Role in Secretion

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the stereological analysis of microtubules in cells with special reference to their possible role in secretion. Reliable methodology exists for the assessment of total soluble tubulin in cells and tissues through the use of either colchicine binding or radioimmunotechniques. It is found that to ensure good quantitation of microtubules, tissue samples must be fixed optimally. The samples should be very small or the tissues should be perfused with fixative under controlled-pressure conditions that do not alter the size of the cells. To identify microtubules in micrographs, the magnification of the print has to be high enough to visualize even small longitudinal segments and cross sections, and yet low enough so that a reasonable number of microtubules can be measured per print. Stereological measurements provide certain advantages over biochemical methods. Most important is the fact that in complex tissues containing several different cell types it is not necessary to separate the cells physically before evaluating microtubule content. The presumed association between microtubules and another organelle of the secretory cell can be shown by the correlation coefficient.