Topographical gradient in expression of R2D5 antigen in superior olivary nuclei and hippocampal dentate gyrus of the cat.

An immunohistochemical analysis of the cat central nervous system revealed that a monoclonal antibody which recognizes a soluble cytosolic protein, R2D5, bound two regions in a prominent spatial gradient. In the medial and lateral superior olivary nuclei of the brainstem, R2D5 immunoreactivity appeared as a gradient across a population of topographically ordered principal neurons. The spatial gradient corresponded to the tonotopic organization in the superior olivary nuclei: i.e., R2D5 immunoreactivity tended to occur more frequently and intensely in low-frequency neurons than in high-frequency neurons. Granule cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus also had a pronounced spatial gradient in R2D5 immunoreactivity expression, and this gradient corresponded to the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus. Granule cells of the temporal (ventral) portions of the hippocampus were labeled intensely with R2D5 antibody, while those located in progressively more septal (dorsal) portions had gradually less immunoreactivity. These results suggest that in both the superior olivary nuclei and the hippocampal dentate gyrus, neurons differ in intrinsic properties by their position along specific axes. They suggest also that the hippocampus has an intrinsic functional organization related to the spatial gradient along its septotemporal axis.