B. Pfeiffer et al., IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF GLYCOGEN-PHOSPHORYLASE IN PRIMARY SENSORY GANGLIA OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF THE RAT, HISTOCHEM C, 103(1), 1995, pp. 69-74
Neuronal localization was investigated of glycogen phosphorylase (GP)
in ganglia of the peripheral nervous system of the rat. Immunofluoresc
ence and immunoenzymatic procedures were applied with a monoclonal ant
i-bovine brain GP antibody on paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedde
d tissues. Immunoreactivity was only present in the somatic neurons of
the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus in the brain stem and in dorsal
root ganglia (DRG), but not in the autonomic neurons of the superior c
ervical ganglia or in the sensory nuclei of the spinal cord. GP immuno
reactivity was present as early as day 1 after birth. In the adult rat
, staining was present in neurons of different sizes, and to varying i
ntensities. No relationship was apparent between the staining intensit
ies and morphologically distinguishable types of neurons. In DRG, the
type of reactivity was the same from cervical to sacral ganglia. The s
elected occurrence of GP in specific neurons of the peripheral nervous
system in contrast to the ubiquitous occurrence in all astrocytes of
the central nervous system may indicate a different role of neuronal g
lycogen compared to astrocytic glycogen.