title: Neuropeptides in dissociated cell cultures of mammalian spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion.
abstract: Immunohistochemical studies of leucine-enkephalin, somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and neurotensin were carried out in dissociated cell co-cultures of embryonic mouse spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion, using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. Leucine-enkephalin immunoreactivity exceeded that of the other peptides in these coculture preparations. Leucine-enkephalin, substance P and somatostatin were also studied in spinal cord cultures (without dorsal root ganglia) and in dorsal root ganglia cultures (without spinal cord). Each of these peptides was present in only a small percentage (< 10%) of perikarya and processes in spinal cord cultures. No leucine-enkephalin immunoreactivity was seen in dorsal root ganglion cultures; a considerable proportion of the processes were immunoreactive for substance P or somatostatin. These observations suggest that co-cultures of spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia can provide a simplified in vitro "model" of the nervous system for the study of peptidergic interactions.
authors.affiliation: Montreal Neurological Institute, Canada.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matthew
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D010455:Peptides