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Expression of phosphorylated high molecular weight neurofilament protein (NF-H) and vimentin in human developing dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord

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Abstract

The expression of vimentin and the phosphorylated variant of high molecular weight neurofilament protein (NF-H) was studied in developing human fetal dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord. The technique used for examination of cryosections was double-label fluorescence with monoclonal antibodies. Both proteins were present in the nerve fibres inside the ganglia of 6- and 8-week-old embryos. During further development the expression of vimentin continued to increase in the satellite cells, but was found to be decreasing in the ganglion cells. Phosphorylated NF-H was found in the processes of ganglion cells, as well as in the perikarya at all developmental stages. In the spinal cord of 6- and 8-week-old embryos, phosphorylated NF-H protein was found in the longitudinal fibres of the marginal layer and in processes of the mantle zone; some of the fibres also contained vimentin. Later the co-expression of the two proteins ceased and vimentin was found only in glial and mesenchymal derivatives. Phosphorylated NF-H was located, at all developmental stages, in the axons of both white and grey matter, but not in the neuronal perikarya. The results indicate that phosphorylation of the NF-H in human dorsal root ganglia starts in the perikarya of the ganglion cells while in the ganglion cells of the spinal cord it takes place in the axons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 2nd Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty of Masaryk University, Children's hospital, Cernopolní 9, 66263, Brno, Czech Republic

    Zdeněk Lukáš

  2. Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 4, 14220, Czech Republic

    Pavel Dráber, Eduarda Dráberová & Vladimír Viklický

  3. 1st Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty of Masaryk University, St. Anne Hospital, Pekařská 53, 65691, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jan Buček

  4. Research Centre of Biomechanic Artificial Circulation, Komenského nám. 2, 66243, Brno, Czech Republic

    Svatopluk Doležel

Authors
  1. Zdeněk Lukáš
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  2. Pavel Dráber
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  3. Jan Buček
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  4. Eduarda Dráberová
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  5. Vladimír Viklický
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  6. Svatopluk Doležel
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Lukáš, Z., Dráber, P., Buček, J. et al. Expression of phosphorylated high molecular weight neurofilament protein (NF-H) and vimentin in human developing dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord. Histochemistry 100, 495–502 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267831

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