Y. Umezu et al., CYTOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL DEMONSTRATION OF ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE OF THE PRENATAL RAT LOWER-LIMB, Archives of histology and cytology, 56(2), 1993, pp. 217-224
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in the prenatal rat lower limb
were investigated by both cytochemistry and immunocytochemistry. Resul
ts indicate that the epidermal cells show immunoreactions of AChE at a
limited stage at prenatal day 15, and mesenchymal cells which are occ
asionally in contact with the basal lamina or with the adjacent myotub
es begin to show AChE activities at prenatal day 17. Such AChE-positiv
e mesenchymal cells, involved in the formation of the muscular tissues
, have almost disappeared in the subepidermis by prenatal day 19. This
suggests that AChE independent of the neuromuscular system may be inv
olved in the mesenchymal cell differentiation especially in the induct
ive process during myogenesis.