Neuronal uptake of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) synthesized and secreted by hepatocytes in liver/brain co-cultures.
Homologous explants of embryonic day (E)-17 fetal liver and brain (hypothalamus and preoptic area) were co-cultured in juxtaposition for up to 2 weeks in vitro. Hepatocytes were shown to contain immunoreactive alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) by immunofluorescence, as were neurons differentiating in the outgrowth zones in contact with the liver explants. No immunoreactive intraneuronal AFP was observed in liver cultures grown alone or in CNS cultures grown in the absence of liver or exogenously added AFP. This more physiological paradigm provides strong confirming evidence for the extracellular origin of the intraneuronal AFP observed during development and extends earlier observations on the uptake of purified mouse AFP added in vivo and in vitro.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins