Monoclonal antibodies to P epitope of chordin detect type II astrocytes in glial cultures

Abstract

The expression of chordin P-epitope in dissociated cell culture of rat brain is studied by indirect immunofluorescence. Specific fluorescence is confined to compact bipolar and stellate cells on a layer of P-negative spread cells. Granular cells of the cerebellum, spinal neurons, neurons, and Schwann cells are P-negative. Double staining with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to glial fibrillar acid protein (an astrocyte marker) shows that this protein is expressed by P-positive stellate cells and P-negative cells of the underlying monolayer. Thus, monoclonal antibodies to P-epitope detect type II astrocytes.