Leu-7 immunoreactivity in human, monkey, and pig bronchopulmonary neuroepithelial bodies and neuroendocrine cells.

Anti-Leu 7 is a monoclonal antibody recognizing a surface antigen on human natural killer cells. By applying the indirect immunoperoxidase method, we demonstrated Leu-7 immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) and neuroendocrine cells (NEC) of human, monkey, and pig respiratory mucosa. In addition, the anti-Leu-7 monoclonal antibody stained the myelin sheaths of nerve fibers in all tissues investigated. Our findings support the hypothesis that shared antigens exist between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.