title: Expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha in the developing nervous system.
abstract: We present evidence that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is transiently expressed at specific times during embryogenesis in precisely defined areas of the nervous system in two different classes of vertebrates. In murine embryos, TNF-alpha was detected in the brain, neural tube and peripheral mixed spinal nerves. In the chick embryo, TNF-alpha was observed in the brain neuroepithelium and in the developing Purkinje neurons of the cerebellum. Western immunoblot analysis revealed that brain tissue from both mouse and chick embryos contained a 50 kDa protein showing immunoreactivity with anti-TNF-alpha antibody. These results suggest that TNF-alpha participates in the normal development of the vertebrate brain and spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gendron
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Nestel
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lapp
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Baines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha