title: Cell surface distribution of endogenous and effects of exogenous gangliosides on neuronal survival, cell shape and growth in vitro.
abstract: In vitro immunostaining of neurons from spinal cord or brain of embryonic chicken by means of monoclonal anti-ganglioside antibodies (Q211, D21b) revealed a fluorescence-labeling of c-polysialogangliosides and GD1b evenly distributed over the entire neuronal surface including filopodia at the growth cones. On electronmicroscopical level the gold-stained ganglioside-antigens were found more or less densely packed in small adjacent areas suggesting a concentration in local "domains". Survival in serum-free or serum-containing medium of embryonic spinal cord motoneurons, which normally died if not cultivated in muscle conditioned medium or in contact to myotubes, was remarkably improved in the presence of a ganglioside mixture (10 microM) from bovine brain. If embryonic neurons from optic lobes were cultivated at low Ca(2+)-concentration (< 20 microM) they developed flat, broad cell bodies with many filopodia and only a few flat-shaped short processes. A very weak cytoskeleton-staining by means of rhodamine-linked phalloidine indicated that polymerization of actin was impaired in these neurons. At the same low Ca(2+)-concentration of < 20 microM but in the presence of ganglioside GM1 (up to 100 microM) most of the neurons developed a "normal" cell shape with rounded perikarya and thin neurites with "normal" shaped growth cones. In this case rhodamine-linked phalloidine revealed a much more intense staining mainly concentrated within the growing tips. The morphology and growth of the ganglioside-treated neurons resembled that of neurons cultivated at a higher Ca(2+)-concentration of at least 600 microM.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Fed. Rep. Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rösner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: al-Aqtum
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sonnentag
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wurster
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rahmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000494:pharmacology; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005732:Gangliosides; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; D002118:Calcium