Myelin basic protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein in human fetal brain.

We demonstrated myelin basic protein (MBP) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in tissue sections of routinely-processes premature human brain employing the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP( method. The MBP immunostain delineated oligodendroglia before the appearance of myelin sheaths. The GFAP immunostain indicated that in addition to the stellate astrocyte, bouquet-shaped glia and radial glia are astrocytic in nature. The bouquet-shaped glia may be the normal counterpart for the gemistocytic astrocyte. The glia limitans stained with GFAP beginning with our first specimen. Small numbers of ependymal cells also contained cytoplasmic GFAP.