ISOLATION AND CULTURE OF BOVINE ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS OF ENDONEURIAL ORIGIN

Penetration of immunoglobulins and/or migration of activated lymphocyt es into peripheral nervous system (PNS) parenchyma are the initial key steps to develop immunological disorders of PNS including Guillain-Ba rre syndrome, IgM neuropathy and chronic inflammatory demyelinating po lyradiculoneuropathy. Hence, it is important to know the cellular prop erty of endothelial cells of endoneurial tissue origin (PnMEC) because these cells constitute the bulk of the blood-nerve barrier (BNB), For this purpose, we developed a method to isolate and culture pure popul ations of PnMECs from bovine cauda equina, PnMECs were identified by t heir cobblestone appearance, immunoreactivity against Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor (vWF) antigen, and positive uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL. Th e glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) expression of these cells was rap idly down-regulated in vitro, Other than GM3(NeuAc) and GM3(NeuGc) as major glycosphingolipids, PnMECs comprise GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1b, wh ich are shared by PNS parenchyma, and sialyl lactosaminyl paraglobosid e (SLPG) as minor species, Because bovine PnMECs proliferate rapidly a nd a large mass of cells could be obtained, this method should contrib ute to the biochemical analysis of surface molecules in PnMECs that mi ght play a key role in the formation of BNB as well as in pathological conditions involving the PNS. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.