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Neuroimmunology of gangliosides in human neurons and glial cells in culture
Author(s) -
Kim S. U.,
Moretto G.,
Lee V.,
Yu R. K.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490150303
Subject(s) - ganglioside , galactocerebroside , neurofilament , biology , immunocytochemistry , glial fibrillary acidic protein , spinal cord , schwann cell , astrocyte , ependymal cell , microbiology and biotechnology , polysialic acid , sialic acid , neuroscience , pathology , cell , neural cell adhesion molecule , immunology , oligodendrocyte , immunohistochemistry , central nervous system , biochemistry , endocrinology , myelin , medicine , cell adhesion
Abstract Gangliosides (sialic‐acid‐bearing glycolipids) have received attention in recent years because of their role in cell recognition phenomena, synaptic transmission, memory generation, and nerve regeneration in the fields of neurosciences. It is suggested that each brain region or each neural cell type may contain a specific and characteristic set of gangliosides. We have investigated the immunocytochemical localization of several classes of gangliosides that include G M1 , G M4 , G D3 , and G Q gangliosides on the cell surface of various cell types found in human neural cell cultures with antibodies specific for these gangliosides. Cell cultures were obtained from adult human brains and fetal human dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord and cultured in vitro for the period up to 6 months and utilized for the ganglioside immunocytochemistry. It was demonstrated that (1) G M1 ganglioside was present in all galactocerebroside‐positive oligodendrocytes and most of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP)‐positive astrocytes (80%), most of neurofilament‐positive neurons (80%), 50–70% of Schwann cells, and 5–10% of fibronectin‐positive fibroblasts; (2) G M4 ganglioside could be detected in all oligodendrocytes, 80% of astrocytes, and 50% of Schwann cells, while no staining was found in neurons or fibroblasts; (3) G D3 ganglioside was present in all oligodendrocytes and 5–10% of astrocytes but not in neurons, Schwann cells, or fibroblasts; and (4) all of fetal CNS neurons and approximately 80–90% of fetal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and a small percentage of astrocytes (10–20% in fetal and <1% in adult astrocytes) was labeled by A2B5 antibody which is specific for G Q ganglioside, while this antibody did not stain cell surface of oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, or fibroblasts. Three classes of gangliosides, G M1 , G M4 , and G D3 were found to be definite components of fetal and adult human oligodendroglial plasma membrane, while G M1 and G M4 gangliosides were detected on the surface of most astrocytes. Only a minor population of astrocytes from both fetal and adult human CNS contained G D3 and G Q gangliosides. Two classes of gangliosides, G M1 and G Q , were detected on the surface of fetal human neurons. More than half of fetal Schwann cells reacted to G M1 and G M4 antibodies but did not to G D3 or G Q antibodies. We recognized the presence of a specific and characteristic set of gangliosides on the cell surface of different human neural cell types and these findings should facilitate further investigation of the precise biological activity of these gangliosides.