PRESENCE OF NEURONAL PROTEINS IN SERIALLY CULTURED-CELLS FROM AUTOPSYHUMAN BRAIN

Cells that contain the high (NF-H) and medium (NF-M) molecular weight neurofilaments and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) have been cultured fr om human brain (Brodmann frontal area 9 and hippocampus) obtained at r outine autopsy. Three of these cultures (from a 52-year-old man with v ascular dementia, a 75-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease, and an 8 0-year-old normal woman) have been propagated to passage 12-14 and stu died in detail. Cellular morphology was pleomorphic and consistent wit h a relatively low level of differentiation, by both light microscopic and ultrastructural examination. Immunocytochemical reactivity in a c haracteristic filamentous pattern was observed with monoclonal antibod ies to nonphosphorylated epitopes of NF-H and NF-M as well as with red undant antibody probes specific for NF-H and NF-M. Immunoblotting stud ies confirmed the presence of NF-H and NF-M. Immunocytochemistry and I mmunoblotting also demonstrated the presence of NSE, but not of glial fibrillary acidic protein or other glial markers. Immunocytochemical s tudies also indicated the presence of proline hydroxylase, an enzyme f ound in fibroblasts but not neurons. These studies indicate that cells can be cultured from autopsy human brain which are not neurons but ne vertheless express molecules used as markers (NF-H, NF-M, and NSE) of adult neurons in vivo and in culture.