Nucleolar organizer regions stained with colloidal silver techniques (
AgNOR) evidence sites of active rRNA transcription. It has been proved
that AgNOR undergo a rise in number and variations in size and shape
in conditions which traditionally involve enhanced cell proliferation
and rRNA transcription. AgNOR have been described as a marker of malig
nant transformation in multiple entities. Our laboratory has previousl
y described their value as markers of radioinduced damage. The finding
, at light microscopy level, that silver staining persisted at later p
ost-irradiation times when cells are characteristically inactive, prom
pted the present study to correlate findings at light microscopy level
with the ultrastructural analysis of nucleoli and their AgNOR in a mo
del of irradiated skin. We herein attempt to explain the biological si
gnificance of AgNOR variations in the different phases of radioinduced
response (which involves cellular hyperactivity followed by regressiv
e features). Ten Wistar rats were submitted to local irradiation of th
e left leg (the shielded right leg was used as control) with 50 Gy x r
ays and killed 1-5 days post- irradiation. Silver staining was perform
ed on ultrathin sections. In the basal layer of control epithelium sil
ver affinity was established for fibrillar centers (FC) and fibrillar
dense components (DFC). During the phase of radioinduced hyperplasia (
1-3 days post-exposure) basal cells exhibit large reticular nucleoli,
with irregular contours and silver staining on DFC. In the regressive
phase (4-5 days post-irradiation) silver staining persists despite the
halt in transcriptional activity, associated to homogeneous and compa
ct nucleoli. These findings suggest caution in the interpretation of s
ilver staining patterns.