Schwann cells cultured from adult rats contain a cytoskeletal protein related to astrocyte filaments.
Cells that bound antibody to the astrocyte intermediate filament protein were cultured from adult rat sciatic nerve. The antigen was intracellular, finely filamentous, and formed perinuclear caps in response to colchicine, all properties of intermediate filaments. Cytoskeletal proteins of these cultures were separated by SDS-gel electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose paper, and shown to bind the glial-specific antiserum to a protein of 50,000 daltons. All the cells that bound this serum had a Schwann cell surface antigen, Ran-1, whereas fibroblasts from the nerve had Thy-1 surface antigen and did not contain the astrocyte filament antigen. These results prove that some Schwann cells from adult nerve, in contrast to fibroblasts or immature Schwann cells, have an intermediate filament protein that shares antigenic determinants with, or may be identical to, the astrocyte filament protein.
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D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein