Demonstration of a specific localization of carbonic anhydrase C in the glial cells of rat CNS by an immunohistochemical method.

The localization of carbonic anhydrase C isoenzyme in the central nervous system (CNS) of the rat has been investigated using the indirect immunoperoxidase technique, at both optic and electron microscopic levels. Evidence is presented for a specific localization of the enzyme in the cytoplasm of the oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Myelinated fibers show a weak staining. The positive reaction is restricted to the cytoplasmic areas of the myelin sheath and does not appear in the compact myelin. Neuronal cell bodies do not stain at all. A strong positive reaction to the antiserum was also observed in the choroid plexus.