title: Tau protein immunolocalization in fetal and adult human spinal cord.
abstract: In the present study, the monoclonal antibody Alz-50 has been used to determine and compare the immunohistochemical localization of phosphorylated tau proteins in the developing and normal adult spinal cord. At all stages of fetal life Alz-50 fiber immunoreactivity was observed in the dorsal roots, in the dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi, and in restricted regions of the dorsal horn. Alz-50 immunoreactivity was also demonstrated in the dorsal root ganglion neurons. In the adult spinal cord a consistent pattern of Alz-50 fiber immunoreactivity was localized in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn (lamina I and II) but not in dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi and in the dorsal root ganglion. Comparable results in fetal specimens have been obtained employing PHF-1, a monoclonal antibody generated against paired helical filament proteins from Alzheimer brains, while no significant immunostaining for PHF-1 was observed in the adult spinal cord. In addition, the staining with monoclonal and polyclonal anti-tau antibodies overlapped with that of Alz-50. The transient, selective pattern of Alz-50 and PHF-1 immunoreactivity may disclose some relevant functions of tau proteins during somatosensory pathway development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Brescia University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liberini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valerio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moretto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rizzonelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Memo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzuto
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Spano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000939:Epitopes; D005333:Fetus / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000196:embryology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D016875:tau Proteins