Amanda Angela Pellegrino de Iraldi, Argentine cytologist (San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province 1917 – Buenos Aires 22 February 2007)

Daughter of Italian immigrants

Authored over 150 works

ACHIEVEMENTS

First to describe spontaneous atherosclerosis of female rat

With M.R. Malinow & D. Hojman. Spontaneous atherosclerosis in the rat. AMA Arch. Pathol. 61(1):11-9, 1956

Obtained the first experimental generalized atherosclerosis

With M.R. Malinow & D. Hojman. Different methods for the experimental production of generalized atherosclerosis in the rat. Acta Cardiol. 9(5):480-99, 1954

First to identify adrenergic synaptic vesicles

With H. Farini Duggan & E. De Robertis. Adrenergic synaptic vesicles in the anterior hypothalamus of the rat. Anat. Record 145(4):521-31, 1963

First to formulate the coexistence of neurotransmitters in the same terminal

With E. De Robertis. Electron microscope study of a special neurosecretory neuron in the nerve cord of the earthworm (1962)

Isolated synaptosome

With E. De Robertis & G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz. Isolation of synaptic vesicles from nerve endings of the rat brain. Nature 194:794-5, 1962

Identified the first neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) in the synaptic vesicles

With E. De Robertis, G. Rodrígues de Lores Arnaiz, L. Salganicoff & L.M. Zieher. Isolation of synaptic vesicles and structural organization of the acetylcholine system within brain nerve endings. J. Neurochem. 10(4):225-35, 1963

Identified and established definitely the large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) as a special type of synaptic vesicles and primary storage and secretion sites for monoamines and neuromodulatory peptides

With E. De Robertis. Action of reserpine on the submicroscopic morphology of the pineal gland. Experientia 17:122-3, 1961

With H. Farini Duggan & E. De Robertis. Adrenergic synaptic vesicles in the anterior hypothalamus of the rat. Anat. Rec. 145(4):521-31, 1963

Presented for the first time in the literature a detailed morphological study of the cells isolated from whole brains of 10-,30-and 120-days old rats

With L.N. Berti Mattera, J.N. Larocca, J. Pasquini & E. Soto. Isolation of oligodendral cells from young and adult whole rat brains using an in situ generated Percoll density gradient. Neurochem. Intern. 6(1):41-50, 1984

Other contributions in Morphology

Compartmentalization of monoaminergic synaptic vesicles in the storage and release of neurotransmitter. Mol. Neurobiol. 6(4):323-37, 1992

Compartmentation of synaptic vesicles in autonomic neurons: morphological correlates of neurotransmitter pools in monoaminergic synapses; the vesicles as dual quantal elements in transmitter storage and release. Adv. Biochem. Psychopharmacol. 25:255-68, 1980

With A.M. Suburo. Presynaptic tubular structures in photoreceptor cells. Zeitschr. f. Zellforsch. Mikoros. Anat. 113(1):39-43, 1971

With R. Gueudet. Osmium tetroxide-zinc iodide reactive sites in the photoreceptor cells of the retina of the rat. Zeitschr. f. Zellforsch. und Mikrosk. Anat. 101:203-11, 1969 (demonstrated an unidentified component of the retina which shows a striking specificity of localization)

With A.M. Suburo. An ultrastructural study of the rat’s suprachiasmatic nucleus. J. Anat. 105 (Pt3):439-46, 1969 (described the ultrastructure of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of rat)

With E. De Robertis, G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz & L.M. Zieher. Synaptic vesicles from the rat hypothalamus. Isolation and norepinephrine content. Life Sci. 4(2):193-201, 1965

With E. De Robertis. Electron microscope study of a special neurosecretory neuron in the nerve cord of the earthworm (1962)

With A.P. Rodríguez Perez. Ultraestructura de los corpusculos de Grandry. Trab. Inst. Cajal Invest. Biol. 53:185-9, 1961

METHODS

With G. Rodríguez de Lores & E. De Robertis developed original procedures for isolating synaptosomes and synaptic vesicles

With G. Rodríguez de Lores & E. De Robertis developed De Robertis method of differential centrifugation for isolation of synaptic terminals (1962)

Effect of N-ethyl-maleimide (NEM) on rod outer segments. Presentation of a model for the study of retinal degeneration induced by prolonged illumination (Wistar rat). Acta Physiol. Latin Am. 26(1), 1977  

With L.N. Berti Mattera, J.N. Larocca, J. Pasquini & E. Soto. Isolation of oligodendral cells from young and adult whole rat brains using an in situ generated Percoll density gradient. Neurochem. Intern. 6(1):41-50, 1984 (a method for the isolation of oligodendroglial cells from rat brains)

With C.J. Tandler. A silver-reducing component in rat striated muscle. I. Selective localization at the level of the terminal cistern/transverse tubule system. Light and electron microscope studies with a new histochemical procedure. Histochemistry 92(1):15-22, 1989

With C.J. Tandler. Staining terminal cisternae proteins in rat skeletal muscle triads: selectivity of a new silver technique. Proceed. Ann. Meet. Electron. Microsc. Soc. America 48(3):736-7, 1990

With C.J. Tandler & H. Rios. Differential staining of two subpopulations of Purkinje neurons in rat cerebellum with acid dyes. Biotech. Histochem. 72(5):231-9, 1997 (a new staining method) 

Papers in top journals

With E. D. De Robertis, G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz, M. Alberici, R.W. Butcher & E.W. Sutherland. Subcellular distribution of adenyl cyclase and cyclic phosphodiesterase in rat brain cortex. J. Biol. Chem. 242(15):3487-93, 1967   

With E. De Robertis & G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz. Isolation of synaptic vesicles from nerve endings of the rat brain. Nature 194:794-5, 1962

With M.R. Malinow, A.L. Gimeno, M.A. Fernandez-Gimeno, J.L. Lacuara & J.R. Moguilevsky. The C₁₇-OH group of oestradiol: relationships between its anti-atherogenic and endocrine actions. Nature 184:1720-1, 1959 

Papers with more than 100 citations

With M. Cammarota, G. Paratcha, L.M. Bevilaqua, M.D. de Stein, M. López, I. Izquierdo & J. Medina. Cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein in brain mitochondria. J. Neurochem. 72(6):2272-7, 1999

With E.D. De Robertis. The neurotubular system of the axon and the origin of granulated and non-granulated vesicles in regenerating nerves. Zeitschr. f. Zellforsch. Mikros. Anat. 87(3):330-44, 1968

With E.D. De Robertis, O.Z. Sellinger, G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz, M. Alberici & L.M. Zieher. Nerve endings in methionine sulphixomine convulsant rats, a neurochemical and ultrastructural study. J. Neurochem. 14(1):81-9, 1967

With E. D. De Robertis, G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz, M. Alberici, R.W. Butcher & E.W. Sutherland. Subcellular distribution of adenyl cyclase and cyclic phosphodiesterase in rat brain cortex. J. Biol. Chem. 242(15):3487-93, 1967

With E. De Robertis, G. Rodrígues de Lores Arnaiz, L. Salganicoff & L.M. Zieher. Isolation of synaptic vesicles and structural organization of the acetylcholine system within brain nerve endings. J. Neurochem. 10(4):225-35, 1963

With H. Farini Duggan & E. De Robertis. Adrenergic synaptic vesicles in the anterior hypothalamus of the rat. Anat. Record 145(4):521-31, 1963

With E. De Robertis, G. Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz & L. Salganicoff. Cholinergic and non-cholinergic nerve endings in rat brain. I. Isolation and subcellular distribution of acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase. J. Neurochem. 9(1):23-35, 1962

With E. De Robertis, G. Rodríguez & C.J. Gómez. On the isolation of nerve endings and synaptic vesicles. J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 9(1):229-35, 1961

With E. De Robertis. Plurivesicular secretory processes and nerve endings in the pineal gland of the rat. J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 10(3):361-72, 1961

With E.D. De Robertis. A plurivesicular component in adrenergic nerve endings. Anat. Rec. 139:299, 1961