title: Identification of a 140 kDa protein of rat presynaptic terminal membranes encompassing the active zones.
abstract: A polyclonal antiserum raised against the carboxy-terminal 17 amino acids of the rat p185c-neu (anct) reacted with a 140 kDa polypeptide in membranes of synaptosome fractions from neocortex and hippocampus of 11-day-old and adult rats. The same antiserum reacted with a 185 kDa polypeptide in microsome membranes from rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12). By light microscopic immunocytochemistry, the anct antibodies against the 140 kDa protein were localized in the neuropile of brain, cerebellum and spinal cord of 11-day-old and adult rats. Especially prominent staining was obtained in the CA2-CA3 zones of the hippocampus, and in the substantia gelatinosa in the spinal cord. The finely granular and diffuse pattern of the immunostain was consistent with synaptic localizations. Interestingly, antibodies against the entire endodomain of p185c-neu (a-Bacneu) were localized in granular structures, probably representing axo-somatic and axo-dendritic synapses, on a subset of pyramidal neurons of the CA3 zone. By immunoelectron terminals in the giant mossy fiber type in the CA3 and CA4 regions. The immunolocalization of the anct antibodies was restricted in segments of the presynaptic membrane facing the synaptic cleft which include the active zone. The identify and function of the 140 kDa membrane protein of rat brain presynaptic terminals, detected by the anct antibodies, is unknown. The 140 kDa protein may be related to p185c-neu, a tyrosine kinase, or to other known or unknown kinases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-6079, USA
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stieber
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonatas
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dougall
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samanta
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Gonatas
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases