The NG2 antigen, a putative lineage marker: Immunofluorescent localization in primary cultures of rat brain

Abstract

The distribution of the NG2 antigen was studied at the cellular level in primary cultures of rat brain. By performing immunofluorescent double-labeling experiments with the anti-NG2 serum and other cell-specific markers such as tetanus toxin (neurons), anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocytes), and anti-galactocerebroside (oligodendrocytes), we attempted to ascertain the class of cell that expressed NG2. In cultures prepared from the whole brain of 15-day-old rat embryos the NG2 marker was not found on cells that expressed galactocerebroside or glial fibrillary acidic protein, but was found on a subpopulation of process-bearing tetanus-toxin-binding cells. In cultures prepared from the cerebrum or cerebellum of older animals, either 19-day embryos or 4-day postnatal pups, the NG2 marker was once again found on a subpopulation of tetanus-toxin-binding cells. In addition, NG2 was found on some of the process-bearing cells having the glial fibrillary acidic protein. Thus, as found previously with clonal cell lines, some cells that express NG2 have properties associated with neurons and some have properties associated with glia. That these apparently different types of cells share the NG2 antigen may be a clue that they share a common origin or lineage.