EXPRESSION OF NEURONAL PROTEINS IN CELLS FROM NORMAL ADULT-RAT BRAIN PROPAGATED IN SERIAL CULTURE

Cells have been cultured from the brains of 60-day-old rats and propag ated through 12 passages. The cells contain the high and middle, but n ot low, molecular weight neurofilament subunits and neuron-specific en olase, demonstrated by immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry with red undant antibodies. The cells did not have the morphology of neurons wh en cultured in medium containing fetal calf serum and growth factors. In low serum medium containing the same growth factors with the additi on of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, the cells became smaller and developed lon g processes. Three clonal lines derived from these cultures had the sa me properties. These observations are in agreement with recent observa tions using mouse and human brain tissue and demonstrate that proteins normally associated with neurons can be found in dividing cells cultu red from the brains of young adult rats.