Suburo A M, Gu X H, Moscoso G, Ross A, Terenghi G, Polak J M
Department of Histochemistry, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, U.K.
Neuroscience. 1992 Sep;50(2):467-82. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(92)90438-8.
Immunocytochemical expression of the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor was studied in human fetal and adult tissues using the monoclonal antibody ME20.4. In dorsal root ganglia, a few immunoreactive neurons were first detected in nine-week-old fetuses and many more were found in the following weeks of gestation. However, none was present in adult ganglia. The ME20.4-positive cells were larger than neurons immunostained by substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide or galanin antibodies. In the spinal cord, fibres immunostained by ME20.4 appeared in a characteristic pattern that differed from the spatial and temporal distributions of synaptophysin- and neurofilament-immunoreactive fibres. Those expressing the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor were only detected in regions containing collaterals of primary sensory axons: (i) in the dorsal funiculus between seven and 18 weeks of gestation; (ii) in a ventrodorsal bundle reaching the ventral horn from weeks 12-14; (iii) in the medial region of the dorsal horn between weeks 12 and 20; (iv) in the superficial layers and lateral portion of the dorsal horn after the 14th week of gestation and also in adult spinal cord. During the fetal period, ME20.4 immunoreactivity was also found in motoneurons and peripheral nerve fibres in the skin, myotomes and gut. Sheaths of peripheral nerves and the adventitia of blood vessels were stained both in fetal and adult tissues. Thus, the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor is: (i) strongly expressed in the developing human nervous system; (ii) transiently associated with a subset of large primary sensory neurons and with motoneurons; (iii) transiently and sequentially expressed by various groups of sensory afferents to the spinal cord; (iv) permanently expressed by fibres in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn, Clarke's column, nerve sheaths and the adventitia of blood vessels.
利用单克隆抗体ME20.4研究了人胎儿和成人组织中低亲和力神经生长因子受体的免疫细胞化学表达。在背根神经节中，9周龄胎儿首次检测到少数免疫反应性神经元，在随后的孕周中发现更多。然而，成人神经节中未发现。ME20.4阳性细胞比用P物质、降钙素基因相关肽或甘丙肽抗体免疫染色的神经元大。在脊髓中，ME20.4免疫染色的纤维呈现出一种特征性模式，与突触素和神经丝免疫反应性纤维的空间和时间分布不同。表达低亲和力神经生长因子受体的细胞仅在含有初级感觉轴突侧支的区域被检测到：（i）在妊娠7至18周的背索中；（ii）在12至14周从腹侧到达腹角的腹背束中；（iii）在12至20周背角内侧区域；（iv）在妊娠14周后背角的浅层和外侧部分以及成人脊髓中。在胎儿期，ME20.4免疫反应性也见于运动神经元以及皮肤、肌节和肠道中的外周神经纤维。胎儿和成人组织中外周神经的鞘膜和血管外膜均被染色。因此，低亲和力神经生长因子受体：（i）在发育中的人类神经系统中强烈表达；（ii）与一部分大型初级感觉神经元和运动神经元短暂相关；（iii）由不同组的脊髓感觉传入纤维短暂且顺序表达；（iv）由背角浅层、克拉克柱、神经鞘膜和血管外膜中的纤维永久表达。
