Differential Distribution of Immunoreactivity in the Adult Rat Spinal Cord Revealed by the Monoclonal Antibody, Py: A Light and Electron Microscopic Study

The monoclonal antibody Py has previously been shown to be a useful marker for subpopulations of neurons in the rat brain. However, the distribution of Py immunoreactivity in other regions of the CNS and PNS is not known. Here, we present a light and electron microscopic investigation into the distribution of Py immunoreactivity in the adult rat spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, and peripheral nerves. Py immunoreactivity was associated with cytoskeletal elements in the cell body and dendrites of large-diameter neurons (particularly motoneurons, Clarke's nucleus neurons, and some dorsal root ganglion cells). Small-diameter neurons of lamina II (substantia gelatinosa) were Py negative. Py immunoreactivity was also detected in some populations of nerve fibers, notably axons located in the corticospinal tract, axons in the region of the white matter bordering the gray matter (presumably propriospinal axons), and also motor axons of the ventral root, but not in peripheral nerve. Dorsal roots were largely unstained. The present observations suggest a possible involvement of the Py antigen in the function or maintenance of the cytoskeleton of some populations of neurons and that the antibody may be a potentially useful tool for studying lesion-induced cytoskeletal alterations, particularly in α-motoneurons and Clarke's nucleus neurons.