Identification of serotonergic neurons in human brain by a monoclonal antibody binding to all three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.

A monoclonal antibody, PH8, has been isolated and shown by immunocytochemistry to bind to serotonergic and catecholaminergic neurons in sections of the rat and human brain. In human brain, obtained at autopsy, particular fixation and embedding conditions eliminate the labelling of catecholaminergic neurons while leaving intact the labelling of serotonergic neurons. This property makes the antibody of potential use for structural studies of serotonergic neurons in the normal and diseased human brain. PH8 was raised to pure monkey phenylalanine hydroxylase and has been shown to bind to the 50,000 mol. wt. phenylalanine hydroxylase polypeptide. Immunocytochemical and immunochemical evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that the labelling of serotonergic and catecholaminergic neurons results from the binding of PH8 to tryptophan and tyrosine hydroxylase, respectively.