Ultrastructure of the subfornical organ of the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix.

Abstract

The structure of the subfornical organ (SFO) of the Japanese quail has been studied by light and electron microscopy. The SFO is a small semiglobular bulge in the midline on the rostrodorsal wall of the third ventricle between the anterior commissure and tela choroidea. The organ consists of three main parts, anterior stalk, the corpus and the posterior stalk. The anterior stalk is covered by ependymal cells with a few cilia, but the corpus and posterior stalk are characterized by a distinctive lack of cilia and by flat or bulging cell surfaces, which have the appearance of cobble stones. The large bulbous protrusions in the ependymal surface of the posterior stalk suggest a secretory function into the ventricle. In the subependymal layer, there are a few parvocellular neurons that contain small mitochondria, moderately developed Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, dilated cisternae of rER and a few dense-cored granules of 100–120 nm in diameter. They appear to be secretory in nature. Two types of glial cells occur in the subependymal and internal layers. One is small and spindle-shaped with a dense nucleus and elongated cytoplasmic processes; it may be microglial. The other is a small polygonal cell with rounded nucleus and clear cytoplasm containing bundles of filaments; it may be a protoplasmic astrocyte. The neuropil contains three types of axons. The first contains dense-cored granules, 80 nm in diameter, and clear vesicles, 40–60 nm in diameter and is involved in axosomatic synapses. The second type contains dense granules, 120 nm in diameter, and clear vesicles, 40–80 nm in diameter, and shows axodendritic synapses. The third contains peptidergic granules about 100–120 nm in diameter and seems to belong to the organ-specific nerve cells. These axons terminate at the perivascular space of the blood capillaries, suggesting secretion into the blood.