Distribution of Gb(3) Immunoreactivity in the Mouse Central Nervous System.

We have shown previously that neurons in the mouse spinal cord express Gb(3). We show in this article that distribution of anti-Gb(3)-Ab reactivity occurs in many different types of neurons of different areas of the central nervous system (CNS). The immunoreactive neurons are in olfactory bulbs, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata. In several different circumventricular organs where vessels do not have the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) structure, anti-Gb(3)-Ab is not positive for vessel structures, while neurons at these regions are positive. Also, within the ventricular area, ependymal cells in the third ventricle express Gb(3), as revealed by anti-Gb(3)-Ab staining and intensity analysis.