Immunocytochemical characterization of cloned cells from normal adult rat brain.

A cell clone, isolated from normal adult rat brain and maintained in culture for many passages, has been previously characterized by electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry has now been shown that it possesses glutamine synthetase (GS) which supports its astrocytic origin. Cells failed, however, to express glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) but did express the intermediate filament protein vimentin. The presence of fibronectin confirms the normal derivation of these cells and excludes the possibility of malignant transformation.