Definition of an extracellular matrix protein in rostral portions of the human central nervous system.

We have identified and characterized an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein of cultured astrocytomas, NEC1, that is expressed in normal human brain parenchyma. Detailed immunohistochemical analysis reveals a region-specific NEC1 pattern along the rostrocaudal axis of the central nervous system (CNS), with strong expression throughout the white matter of telencephalon and diencephalon, scant expression in some areas of mesencephalon, and no expression in pons, cerebellum, medulla, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. NEC1 is not co-distributed with any known neural cell type, suggesting that expression of specific ECM proteins in the CNS is segmentally controlled.