PRESENCE OF MACROPHAGE-MIGRATION INHIBITORY FACTOR (MIF) IN EPENDYMA,ASTROCYTES AND NEURONS IN THE BOVINE BRAIN

We investigated the immunohistochemical localization of a cytokine mac rophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the bovine brain. MIF was present in the ependymal cell linings of the cerebral ventricles thro ughout. Double immunostaining of the section with anti-glial fibrillar y acidic protein (GFAP) antibody and with anti-MIF antibody showed tha t the astrocytes present in subependymal layer were immunoreactive for MIF. In the hippocampus, the pyramidal cells in the CA3 and CA4 subfi elds and the granule cells of the dentate gyrus were immunoreactive. T he bundles of messy fibers were stained along their projections to CA3 and CA4 regions. The nuclei of the subpopulation of these MIF-immunor eactive cells were also immunostained. These results indicated the wid espread distribution of a cytokine, MIF, in the bovine brain and sugge sted the possibility that MIF might play additional roles than a proin flammatory mediator role in the brain.