Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Glial cells express N-CAM/D2-CAM-like polypeptides in vitro

Nature volume 316, pages 725–728 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

The joining together of neurites to form fascicles and the growth of axons along glial surfaces1,2 during early development suggest that neurone–neurone and neurone–glial adhesion interactions are of considerable importance for defining nerve tracts. In vitro studies have indicated that adhesion between neurones3–5 involves a glycoprotein that has been independently studied under the names of N-CAM (for neural cell adhesion molecule6–8), D2-CAM9 and BSP-2 (refs 10, 11). As N-CAM/D2-CAM appears to be a homophilic ligand12 that binds to N-CAM/D2-CAM polypeptide on adjacent cells, this glycoprotein is potentially important in adhesion interactions between any two N-CAM/D2-CAM-expressing cells. While it has been suggested that neurone–glial adhesion involves molecules other than N-CAM/D2-CAM13–15, it is known that N-CAM/D2-CAM antigenic determinants are expressed by glial cells in vivo16,17 and that injection of anti-N-CAM antibodies into the eye-cup of chick embryos disrupts normal patterns of neuritic apposition to glial endfeet in the developing optic stalk17. Do the molecules expressed by glia share restricted antigenic determinants, or binding domains, with N-CAM/D2-CAM, or are N-CAM/D2-CAM polypeptides expressed by glia? Here we present immunocytochemical evidence which suggests that all classes of macroglia express N-CAM/D2-CAM antigenic determinants on their surfaces and immunochemical analyses which indicate that the molecules expressed by purified astrocytes are closely similar, or identical, to at least some forms of N-CAM/D2-CAM obtained from whole brain or purified neurones. However, our results also suggest that different N-CAM/D2-CAM polypeptides may be separately expressed by neurones and astrocytes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Silver, J. & Sapiro, J. J. comp. Neurol. 202, 521–538 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Silver, J., Lorenz, S. E., Wahlsten, D. & Coughlin, J. J. comp. Neurol. 210, 10–29 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Jorgensen, O. S., Delouvee, A., Thiery, J.-P. & Edelman, G. M. FEBS Lett. 111, 39–42 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rutishauser, U., Gall, W. E. & EdeUnan, G. M. J. Cell Biol. 79, 382–393 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rutishauser, U. & Edelman, G. M. J. Cell Biol. 87, 370–378 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rutishauser, Y. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 48, 501–514 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Rutishauser, U. Nature 310, 549–554 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Edelman, G. M. et al. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 48, 515–526 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bock, E. et al. in Electroimmunochemical Analysis of Membrane Proteins (ed. Bjirrum, O. J.) 275–287 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Goridis, C. et al. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 48, 527–537 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hirn, M., Ghandour, M. S., Deagostini-Bazin, J. & Goridis, C. Brain Res. 265, 87–110 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Rutishauser, U., Hoffman, S. & Edelman, G. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 685–689 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Grumet, M., Rutishauser, J. & Edelman, G. M. Science 222, 60–62 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Grumet, M., Hoffman, S. & Edelman, G. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 267–271 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Edelman, G. M. Trends Neurosci., 78–84 (1984).

  16. Langley, O. K., Ghandour, M. S., Gombos, G., Hirn, M. & Goridis, C. Neurochem. Res. 7, 349–362 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Silver, J. & Rutishauser, U. Devl Biol. 106, 485–494 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Noble, M., Fok-Seang, J. & Cohen, J. J. Neurosci. 4, 1892–1903 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Noble, M. & Murray, K. EMBO J. 3, 2243–2247 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Raff, M. C., Abney, E. R., Cohen, J., Lindsay, R. & Noble, M. J. Neurosci. 3, 1289–1300 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bignami, A., Eng, L. F., Dahl, D. & Uyeda, C. T. Brain Res. 43, 429–435 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Eisenbarth, G. S., Walsh, F. S. & Nirenberg, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 4913–4917 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Chapman, J. & Rumsby, M. G. Neurosci. Lett. 34, 307–313 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Brockes, J. P., Fields, K. L. & Raff, M. C. Brain Res. 165, 105–118 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Thanos, S., Bonhoeffer, F. B. & Rutishauser, U. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1906–1910 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Him, J., Pierres, M., Deagostini-Bazin, J., Hirsch, M. & Goridis, C. Brain Res. 214, 433–439 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Gennerini, G., Rougon, G., Deagostini-Bazin, H., Hirn, M. & Goridis, C. Eur. J. Biochem. 142, 57–64 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Hoffman, S. et al. J. biol. Chem. 257, 7720–7729 (1982).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Edelman, G. M. & Choung, A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 7035–7038 (1982).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rasmussen, S., Ramlan, J., Axelsen, N. H. & Bock, E. Scand. J. Immun. 15, 179–182 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Rougon, G., Deagostini-Bazin, J., Him, M. & Goridis, C. EMBO J. 1, 1239–1244 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Raff, M. C., Miller, R. H. & Noble, M. Nature 303, 390–396 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Winter, J., Mirsky, R. & Kadlubowski, M. J. Neurocytol. 11, 351–362 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Nieke, J. thesis, Univ. Heidelberg (1984).

  35. Lyles, J. M., Norrild, B. & Bock, E. J. Cell Biol. 98, 2077–2081 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Hansen, O. C., Nybrøie, O. & Bock, E. J. Neurochem. (in the press).

  37. Rathjen, F. & Schachner, M. EMBO J. 3, 1–10 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Lyles, J. M., Linnemann, D. & Bock, E. J. Cell Biol. (in the press).

  39. Rathjen, F. G. & Rutishauser, U. EMBO J. 3, 461–465 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Kruse, J. et al. Nature 311, 153–155 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Moore, S. E. & Walsh, F. S. EMBO J. 4, 623–630.

  42. Covault, J. & Sanes, J. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).

  43. Noble, M. in Clinical Neurology (eds Asbury, A. K., McKhann, G. M. & McDonald, W. I.). (Ardmore, Philadelphia, in the press).

  44. Fallon, J. J. Cell Biol. 100, 198–207 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Hunter, W. M. & Greenwood, F. C. Nature 194, 495–496 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Hoiby, N. & Axelsen, N. H. Scand. J. Immun. 17, Suppl. 10, 125–134 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Laemmli, U. K. Nature 227, 680–685 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Axelsen, N. H. & Bock, E. Scand. J. Immun. 17, Suppl. 10, 189–195 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Pruss, R. Nature 280, 688–690 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Towbin, H., Staehlin, T. & Gordon, J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 4350–4354 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Hawkes, R., Niday, E. & J. Analyt. Biochem. 119, 142–147 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Meier, E. & Schousboe, A. Devl Neurosci. 5, 546–553 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

    Mark Noble

  2. The Protein Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, 34 Sigurdsgade, DK-2200, Copenhagen N., Denmark

    Merete Albrechtsen, Claus Møllert, Joan Lyles & Elisabeth Bock

  3. Department of Treponematoses, Statens seruminstitut, DK-2300, Copenhagen S., Denmark

    Elisabeth Bock

  4. Centre d'lmmunologie, INSERM-CNRS de Marseille-Luminy, 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France

    Christo Goridis

  5. Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, 2119 Abington Road, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, USA

    Michiko Watanabe & Urs Rutishauser

Authors
  1. Mark Noble
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Merete Albrechtsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Claus Møllert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Joan Lyles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Elisabeth Bock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christo Goridis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Michiko Watanabe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Urs Rutishauser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Noble, M., Albrechtsen, M., Møllert, C. et al. Glial cells express N-CAM/D2-CAM-like polypeptides in vitro. Nature 316, 725–728 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/316725a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/316725a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing