Ultrastructural localization of laminin in rat sensory ganglia.

We adapted immunocytochemical methods for localization of laminin to examine its disposition in neural tissue at the ultrastructural level. In dorsal root ganglia, laminin was found in basal laminae of the satellite and Schwann cells ensheathing neuronal perikarya and nerve fibers, respectively, and around blood vessels. Within the basal lamina, the immunostain was found in the lamina lucida and lamina densa. Occasional immunostained coated pits were identified in satellite and Schwann cells, but virtually no intracellular label was seen even in freeze-thawed/detergent-permeabilized specimens. In the perineurium, only the basal lamina of the inward-facing surface of the inner-most cell layer was usually stained.