title: The astrocyte--extracellular matrix complex in CNS myelinated tracts: a comparative study on the distribution of hyaluronate in rat, goldfish and lamprey.
abstract: The localization of hyaluronate was studied in the CNS of rat, goldfish and lamprey. Cryostat sections were incubated with glial hyaluronate-binding protein of human origin and stained by indirect immunofluorescence with glial hyaluronate binding protein antibodies not reaching with rat and fish. As previously reported for glial hyaluronate-binding protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein, hyaluronate and glial fibrillary acidic protein had a similar distribution in rat spinal cord and optic nerve, both substances forming ring-like structures around individual myelinated axons. A similar periaxonal distribution was observed in goldfish spinal cord and medulla, except that the rings were much wider, to accommodate the large goldfish axons. The glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive neuroglial tissue forming distinctive structures in goldfish vagal lobes also stained for hyaluronate. In both rat and goldfish spinal cord, motoneurons were surrounded by a hyaluronate coat. Goldfish optic nerve and lamprey spinal cord were hyaluronate-negative and, as previously reported, they stained for keratin but not for glial fibrillary acidic protein. The findings suggest that hyaluronate in CNS fibre tracts in a product of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive neuroglia. They also suggest that the appearance of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive neuroglia and the formation of a hyaluronate-bound extracellular matrix are related phenomena in phylogeny.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bignami
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perides
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Asher
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dahl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D006054:Goldfish / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D007798:Lampreys / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000737:chemistry; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid