title: Neuron-specific enolase levels in primary cultures of neurons.
abstract: Primary neuronal cell cultures, derived by centrifugal elutriation of cells dissociated from embryonic rat cerebra, have been analyzed for their content of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and non-neuronal enolase (NNE). Both immunocytochemical staining and radioimmunoassay establish that NSE is present in these cells. Furthermore, the observed increase in NSE and decrease in the NNE/NSE ratio with time in culture parallels that observed in vivo. It has recently been shown that during in vivo neurogenesis and maturation a "switch over" occurs from NNE to NSE which correlates with neuronal differentiation. The presence of a neuron-specific protein in these primary neuronal cultures and the changes observed during growth further support their use as a model system for the study of nervous tissue differentiation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase