Immunohistochemical identification of quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase in glial cultures from rat brain.

Glial cell cultures were shown to contain 3 identifiable classes of cells which could be specifically stained with antibodies directed against quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT), the catabolic enzyme of the endogenous excitotoxin quinolinic acid. Some, but not all, QPRT-positive cells also contained glial fibrillary acidic protein. These cultures may constitute an in vitro system in which cerebral quinolinic acid metabolism and function can be examined.