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Monoclonal antibody rat 401 recognizes schwann cells in mature and developing peripheral nerve
Author(s) -
Friedman Beth,
Zaremba Sam,
Hockfield Susan
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.902950105
Subject(s) - biology , schwann cell , peripheral nervous system , myelin , monoclonal antibody , axon , antigen , immunohistochemistry , central nervous system , neuroscience , neuroglia , pathology , staining , embryonic stem cell , antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , medicine , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Monoclonal antibody Rat 401 recognizes subsets of cells in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems. Previous studies have shown that in the central nervous system (CNS) Rat 401 immunoreactivity diminishes sharply with cellular differentiation. Here we have examined the time course, cellular localization, and biochemical nature of the Rat 401 antigen in the rat peripheral nerve. In contrast to the CNS, in the periphery Rat 401 immunoreactivity is maintained into adulthood. Rat 401 staining is restricted to Schwann cells in mature peripheral nerve. Myelin‐related Schwann cells are intensely immunoreactive, whereas nonmyelin‐related Schwann cells are weakly immunoreactive. Unlike many Schwann cell markers, Rat 401 staining is maintained in cultured Schwann cells that lack axon contact. Biochemical analyses show that the antigen recognized by Rat 401 in the peripheral nerve is identical to that in embryonic CNS. The results demonstrate that the capacity for maintained Rat 401 immunoreactivity is restricted to Schwann cells as these cells are stained in adult animals as well as in embryos. In contrast, the same antigens are lost from the CNS at an early stage of development.