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Phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes in neuronal perikarya in the septum, mesencephalon and dorsal root ganglia of mammals and birds

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Journal of Neurocytology

Summary

We and other researchers have previously described the presence of axon-specific phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes in the cell bodies of three neuronal types in the rat: bipolar septofimbrial neurons and the large light A-type cells in the dorsal root ganglia and the mesencephalic nucleus of the Vth nerve. This spontaneous presence of phosphorylated neurofilaments at the level of the perikaryon contrasts with the induced appearance of these epitopes in axotomized neurons. We have undertaken a study of this phenomenon in rat, mouse, gerbil, rabbit, pig and chicken to analyse its species distribution. Phosphorylated neurofilament positive perikarya could be detected in the dorsal root ganglia and mesencephalic nucleus of the Vth nerve in all analysed species. Although this labelling has been shown to be specific for A-type cells in rat, in pig small cells were preferentially labelled, whereas the largest cells were mostly completely devoid of label. In the septofimbrial nucleus, phosphorylated neurofilament positive perikarya were seen in rat, mouse, gerbil and rabbit. In the pig, only a phosphatase-insensitive neurofilament antibody labelled these neurons. In the chicken, the labelling was completely absent. These observations establish the widespread species distribution of perikaryal phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes in the dorsal root ganglia and mesencephalic nucleus of the Vth nerve. In the septofimbrial nucleus however, this phenomenon seems to be restricted to rodents and lagomorphs. We discuss possible explanations for these cytoskeletal singularities in dorsal root ganglia, the mesencephalic nucleus of the Vth nerve and septofimbrial neurons.

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  1. Laboratory of Cell Biology, Catholic University of Louvain, Claude Bernard Building, Place Croix du Sud 5, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    P. Klosen & P. Van Den Bosch De Aguilar

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  1. P. Klosen
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Klosen, P., Van Den Bosch De Aguilar, P. Phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes in neuronal perikarya in the septum, mesencephalon and dorsal root ganglia of mammals and birds. J Neurocytol 23, 297–311 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01188498

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01188498

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