Stigmoid Bodies: Localization, Ontogeny and Composition

Emory University, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Stigmoid bodies (SBs) are structures found in the cytoplasm of many cells. To date SBs remain enigmatic structures and little is known about their distribution in the brain, their content and potential functions. In some brain cells, SBs represents up to 20% of the volume of the cell body. This enormous amount of material represents a major commitment from the cell suggesting that SBs participate in an important and specific cellular mechanism or that they are involved in sequestering particular molecules. However, the lack of a specific to detect SBs has been the primary obstacle to their study. The investigator have recently shown that antibodies against a brain protein, called huntingtin associated protein 1 (HAP1), stain and detect SBs in several regions of normal rat and mice brains and can therefore be used as markers for these structures. Such staining will be used to identify brain regions in which the SB-containing neurons are located and to determine whether SB-containing neurons represent a specific sub-population. To identify the various factors regulating SB formation, their development will also be examined in neurons cultured from embryonic brain tissue under different conditions. Finally, SBs will isolated and purified SBs and their molecular composition will be ascertained using biochemical studies of SBs and will provide crucial information on the physiological role they may play in cells.