Torpedo monoclonal antibodies react with components of the human peripheral nervous system.

A panel of 141 monoclonal antibodies, generated to the Torpedo ray cholinergic nerve terminal preparation, were tested for binding to components of human nerve and muscle. Tested by immunofluorescence, 13 of the antibodies reacted with components of the human intercostal nerve, and 9 bound either muscle or blood vessels in a diversity of staining patterns. Results indicate that the antibodies identify a spectrum of different antigens. Some of the antibodies that cross react with the human nervous system have been studied in the ray and rat. In the human peripheral nerve and muscle, their cytochemical distribution is consistent with what has been observed in these other species. These antibodies, therefore, are likely to identify components of the neuromuscular junction that have been conserved in evolution from elasmobranchs to humans. The antibodies identified here are potentially useful tools for a molecular examination of human nerves and muscles in pathological conditions.