Differential immunocytochemical localisation of α-tubulin and β-tubulin in cerebellum using monoclonal antibodies

Abstract

We have utilised monoclonal antibodies against yeast tubulin and rat brain tubulin that specifically recognise α and β subunits of rat brain tubulin when characterised by immunoblotting of brain cytosol onto nitrocellulose sheets. Light microscopic immunocytochemical studies in rat cerebellum demonstrate that while dendrites and glia are labelled with the two antibodies, there is a selective deficiency of α-tubulin compared with β-tubulin immunoreactivity in parallel fibre axons and in myelinated axons in the white matter.