The expression of the intermediate filament-associated protein (NAPA-73) is associated with the stage of terminal differentiation of chick brain neurons.
The monoclonal antibody E/C8 was originally generated against chicken dorsal root ganglia. The antigen detected by E/C8, NAPA-73, is an intermediate filament-associated protein. NAPA-73 was shown to be one of the earliest neuronal markers to appear during development since it appears in some neuronal precursor cells of the peripheral nervous system during development. Using [3H]thymidine pulse-chase experiments combined with immunocytochemistry, it is shown that the dividing neuroblasts from 6-day-old embryonic chick brains do not express NAPA-73. Only neurons that have undergone their terminal cell division either in the embryo or in cell culture express the E/C8 immunoreactivity. We conclude that E/C8 is a marker for postmitotic neurons in chick brain. The contrast between our findings and previous reports identifying NAPA-73 as one of the earliest neuronal markers may reflect a difference between the central and peripheral nervous systems.
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D013936:Thymidine
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D013936:Thymidine