Abstract
Almost 30 years ago, the monoclonal antibody Py was developed to detect pyramidal neurons in the CA3 region of the rat hippocampus. The utility of this antibody quickly expanded when several groups discovered that it could be used to identify very specific populations of neurons in the normal, developing, and diseased or injured central nervous system. Despite this body of literature, the identity of the antigen that the Py antibody recognizes remained elusive. Here, immunoprecipitation experiments from the adult rat cortex identified the Py antigen as neurofilament heavy chain (NF-H). Double immunolabeling of sections through the rat brain using Py and NF-H antibodies confirmed the identity of the Py antigen, and reveal that Py/NF-H+ neurons appear to share the feature of being particularly large in diameter. These include the neurons of the gigantocellular reticular formation, pyramidal neurons of layers II/III and V of the cortex, cerebellar Purkinje neurons as well as CA3 pyramidal neurons. Taken together, this finding gives clarity to past work using the monoclonal Py antibody, and immediately expands our understanding of the importance of NF-H in neural development, functioning, and disease.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Prof. Glenn E Morris for his invaluable insights into the growth of the Py clones, and the production of antibodies for immunofluorescence. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.
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Fuller, H.R., Marani, L., Holt, I. et al. Monoclonal antibody Py recognizes neurofilament heavy chain and is a selective marker for large diameter neurons in the brain. Brain Struct Funct 222, 867–879 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-016-1252-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-016-1252-7