Expression of the F84.1 glycoprotein in the spinal cord and cranial nerves of the developing rat.

The monoclonal antibody designated as F84.1 was used for an immunohistochemical study of the developing rat nervous system. The most prominent neural components recognized by F84.1 are motor and sensory components of the spinal cord and cranial nerves. F84.1 is first detected in the dorsal root ganglia of embryonic day 11 spinal cord. The expression in the dorsal roots persists in the adult. In contrast, a more transient expression of F84.1 is found in the spinal motor system. F84.1 labels primary neurons of cranial nerves V, VIII, IX and X. F84.1 is also expressed by the non-neuronal cells of the notochord and the floor plate. Immunoprecipitation experiments from several types of cells in culture show that the F84.1 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 90-105 kDa. An analysis of the amino terminal sequence demonstrates that the F84.1 antigen is similar to the chick cell adhesion molecule SC1/DM-GRASP, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. The pattern of expression of F84.1 in the rat differs in several aspects from that of the chick molecules, leaving a possibility that F84.1 may be a variant of SC1/DM-GRASP.