Structural characteristics and barrier properties of the choroid plexuses in developing brain of the opossum (Monodelphis domestica)

Abstract

The structural and functional development of the choroid plexuses, the site of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, in an opossum (Monodelphis domestica) was studied. Marsupial species are extremely immature at birth compared with more conventional eutherian species. Choroid plexus tissue of each brain ventricle, from early stages of development, was collected for light and electron microscopy. During development, the choroidal epithelium changes from a pseudostratified to a cuboidal layer. Individual epithelial cells appear to go through a similar maturation process even though the timing is different between and within each plexus. The ultrastructural changes during development in ..