title: Neurofilament and intermediate filament immunoreactivity in human intestinal myenteric neurons.
abstract: It has been reported previously that rat myenteric neurons have neurofilament (NF) immunoreactivity that differs from the brain. Now the result of a study of neurofilaments and intermediate filament immunoreactivity in human colon and ileum using a panel of antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence techniques is reported here. Results with polyclonal neurofilament antisera showed positive immunoreactivity in subsets of myenteric neurons. Results with peripherin and alpha-internexin showed immunoreactivity in some neurons that contained neurofilaments and in many that were neurofilament negative, similar to our observations in rat. Some monoclonal antibodies to epitopes on NF-M and NF-H demonstrated weak or negative immunoreactivity in human myenteric neurons yet showed positive immunoreactivity in brain. Some of these antibodies are phosphorylation dependent, suggesting NF-M and NF-H epitopes in myenteric neurons are not as phosphorylated as in brain; other antibodies are phosphorylation independent, suggesting other differences or masking of epitopes. In summary, neurofilaments are present in a subset of myenteric neurons. In those human myenteric neurons that contain them, the neurofilaments appear immunologically distinct from those in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida and Veterans Affairs Medicine Center, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Eaker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins