Transglial pathway of diffusion in the Schwann sheath of the squid giant axon

Summary In order to investigate the transglial pathways in the Schwann sheath of squid giant axons, an electron microscopic study of thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas was carried out. Hitherto the mesaxonal clefts between Schwann cells were regarded as the only pathway between the extracellular space and the periaxonal space which, like the clefts, is about 10 nm in width. The clefts were now found to be obstructed by a putative single-stranded tight junction between neighbouring Schwann cells along the entire border near the axon. The Schwann cells were found to be penetrated like a sponge by a three-dimensional tubular transglial lattice that is confluent with the periaxonal space, the mesaxonal clefts and the extracellular space. The transglial channel system (TGCS) would, therefore, serve as an alternative diffusional pathway, provided that the tubular lumen was permeable. The diameter of the tubules is about 40 nm. In freeze-fracture replicas the density of tubular openings towards the axon was estimated to be 3.3 ± 0.72 per µm². In relation to the periaxonal cell surface, this constitutes a relative opening area of 0.42% as compared to the 0.15% of the mesaxonal clefts (neglecting their tight junctions). Therefore, the TGCS would provide a ubiquitous access for ionic flow between axolemma and extracellular space. The fact that the TGCS has only recently been observed in squid, but has been described for some time in the giant nerve fibres of crayfish and lobster, can be explained by the use of different fixation methods. The TGCS system is preserved in aldehyde fixation as used in the present study, whereas osmium tetroxide was applied in earlier work on squid. The comparison with the results obtained in other species suggests strongly that the TGCS is permeable and constitutes a transglial pathway for rapid ionic flow.