Sequestration of tetanus toxin in developing neuronal cell cultures

Cultivation of pure populations of cerebral cells and the unambiguous identification of the neuronal and glial elements is a prerequisite for studying biochemical parameters associated with the developing nervous system under in vitro controlled conditions. We now report on sequestration of tetanus toxin, an exclusive marker for the neuronal cell surface, into a cellular compartment which prevents its release by neuraminidase. This compartment is associated with cellular elements remaining after detergent extraction of neuronal cells grown in monolayer cultures. Toxin sequestration into this compartment is preceded by a neuraminidase-sensitive receptor mediated binding process which can be correlated with the appearance of lipid-bound sialic acid in developing neuronal cultures.