Nucleolar changes induced by isoproterenol in mouse acinar parotid cells

6 p.-9 fig.-1 tab.This paper deals with the analysis of the nucleolar morphology and distribution of the nucleolar component (i.e. fibrils and granules) in normal and isoproterenol-treated parotid acinar cells of mice. Normally nucleoli present both components intermingled, but at 2 h treatment a considerable decrease of the fibrillar area is detected by a silver staining method. Normal nucleolar characteristics are recovered after eight hours treatment. In hypertrophic cells nucleolar size is considerably increased, but the ratio total nucleolar area/fibrillar area is similar to control cells as shown by a stereometrical computerized analysis. Rounded nucleolar bodies occur in these nuclei which do not seem to be dependent on the modifications induced by the drug.This work was partially supported by a grant from CAICYT (Spain) and a Convenio de Colaboración Univ. de Chile, CSIC (Spain).Peer reviewe