Workshop on Problems in Immunological Assay Techniques

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some of the problems most frequently encountered when immunological methods in neurochemistry are applied to the nervous system. Recently, cell type specific markers, in conjunction with the use of antibodies, have been used to identify the major cell types in primary tissue cultures of the nervous system and also in frozen sections. Neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells fibroblasts, leptomeningeal cells, and macrophages can be identified in cultures containing several different cell types, cultures can be monitored for purity, and when antibodies against a surface antigen are used, there is the possibility of purifying a particular cell type by selective killing with antibody and complement or by positive selection. When antibodies are made against small neuroactive peptides, the peptide must be coupled to a larger molecule, such as hemocyanin, bovine serum albumin, or thyroglobulin to provide determinants for T cell help in the antibody response to the peptides.