Antiganglioside antibodies inhibit neuritic outgrowth from regenerating goldfish retinal explants.

Antibodies elicited in rabbits against bovine brain gangliosides were applied to regenerating retinal explants to examine the role of gangliosides in the trophic effect responsible for the induction of outgrowth. The results indicate that antibodies specific to gangliosides block the neuritic outgrowth from the regenerating retinal explants. It is inferred that gangliosides function as receptors on the cell surface of the retinal explants that interact with the trophic substances inducing the outgrowth. The relevance of gangliosides to the mechanism of regeneration and development induced by trophic factors is discussed.