An updated view of structure, cell and molecular biology of the vertebrate pineal organ, which is the source of the "timing hormone", melatonin. Areas addressed include: phylogenetic development and gross anatomy of the pineal complex; biology and innervation; and pineal transcription factors.

Morphogeny of the nasal skull was investigated in 92 embryos of 13 species of Cetacea. Compared to the original nasal capsule of land mammals, the nasal structures of Cetacea show many weighty transformations. As a result, the nostrils are translocated from the tip of the snout to the vertex of the head. Several structures of the embryonic nasal skull remain preserved even in adult cetaceans. The translocation of the nostrils to the highest point of the surfacing body is among the most perfect adaptations of cetaceans to the aquatic life habits. The morphogeny of the nasal skull suggests that...

The objective of the present work is to review the existing literature on joint incongruity, cellular mechano-transduction, and computer simulations of mechano-adaptive bone remodelling, and to quantitatively assess the effect of incongruity on load transmission and subchondral mineralisation. Idealised computer models of incongruous joints and a specific anatomically based model of the humero-ulnar joint articulation were analysed with the finite element method, and the results directly compared with experimental and morphological data.

The book summarizes our current understanding of the ultrastructure and synaptic organization of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN) in the cat as well as the neurochemistry of its neuronal population. Particular emphasis is given to the survey of synaptic connections and the possible physiological involvement of MTN inputs in the transmission of proprioceptive information. Using immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization histochemistry we have identified distinct neuronal, partly chemically coded MTN subpopulations - large glutamatergic and smaller GABAergic neurons. We also show...

In this treatise, current knowledge on the neurogenesis, axonal outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and regenerative capacity of descending supraspinal pathways in tetrapods is discussed. Although emphasis is on the clawed toad, Xenopus laevis, chicken embryos, opossums and rodent data, also the data available for primates including man are presented. It will be shown that 1) the outgrowth of descending supraspinal pathways is the result of a coordinated program; 2) the pattern of early descending axonal tracts is similar in all vertebrate groups; 3) the formation of descending supraspinal pathways...

5 Function of Splenic Compartments ...45 5. 1 Splenic White Pulp Compartments during Primary T Cell-Dependent Antibody Responses against Protein Antigens ...46 5. 1. 1 Priming of CD4+ Helper T Cells by Dendritic Cells in the PALS ...46 Summary ...49 5. 1. 1. 1 5. 1. 2 Interaction of Primed CD4+ T Cells with Antigen-Specific B Cells in the PALS and Formation of Extrafollicular Foci ...49 5. 1. 2. 1 Summary ...50 5. 1. 3 Formation of Germinal Centres ...50 5. 1. 3. 1 Summary ...55 5. 1. 4 Localisation of Memory B Cells in the Marginal Zone ...55 5. 1. 4. 1 Summary ...57 5. 2 Function of the...

The book focuses on the lymphatic vascular system from a developmental biologist's point of view. It provides an overview on the many recent advances in understanding the development of lymphatic vessels, using advanced genetic models in conjunction with state of the art imaging. For each chapter a synopsis is provided, highlighting the main points in a concise manner. The book is intended for professors and researchers in vascular biology, angiogenesis research and developmental biology. It furthermore offers an excellent basis for entry level researchers and newcomers to this field, as well...

This work presents detailed morphological and cell kinetic data of the pubertal seminiferous epithelium of the golden hamster. The results emphasize and specify the close structural and functional interdependence of germ and somatic cell development.

This book reveals the morphological correlate of antigen presentation in rodents. The method of immunoquenching of fluorescence described in this book is new and of considerable interest since it combines retrograde labeling and subsequent immunophenotypical characterization of cells.
A main benefit of the book is the careful approach combined with modern methods of research. The result showing that the antigen-presenting cells of the rodent central nervous system are not the microglial cells but the perivascular cells is also very promising for future investigations.

Only five years ago, nobody in his right mind would have consid- ered publishing a book on reeler as a model for brain develop- ment. Although this interesting mutation has been with us for half a century, it is fair to say that, in spite of a wave of enthusiasm in the late sixties and early seventies, generated primarily by Sidman, Caviness and colleagues, studies of reeler mice fell pro- gressively out of fashion during the next two decades. All that changed almost overnight when the cloning of the reeler gene, dubbed reelin, was reported in Tom Curran's laboratory in 1995. The fact that...