Fk. Xie et al., ANTIBODY BLOCK OF A NEURAL-TISSUE-SPECIFIC GLYCOCONJUGATE PERTURBS GROWTH CONE GUIDANCE OF AN IDENTIFIED INTERNEURON IN THE GRASSHOPPER, Roux's archives of developmental biology, 204(1), 1994, pp. 75-78
Antibodies against horseradish peroxidase (HRP) recognize a neural-tis
sue-specific carbohydrate moiety that is expressed on a complex set of
developmentally regulated antigens in grasshopper, Drosophila and oth
er insects. The functional role of the neural-specific carbohydrate ha
s been investigated by mutant analysis in Drosophila where subtle defe
cts in wing sensory axon projections have been reported. Here we exten
d the analysis of this neural-specific carbohydrate to the single cell
level by focusing on identified brain interneurons in the grasshopper
embryo. Immunological blocking experiments carried out in embryo cult
ure show that the neural-specific carbohydrate is essential for correc
t axonal guidance of the identified interneurons. Functional block of
the carbohydrate epitope causes major aberrations in growth cone guida
nce and axonal outgrowth in approximately 40% of the cases studied. Th
is analysis reveals an important role of neural-specific glycoconjugat
e for correct axonal guidance of individual identified neurons.