Tetanus toxin binding to different morphological phenotypes of cultured rat and bovine adrenal medullary cells.

Tetanus toxin (TT) binding to cultured rat and bovine adrenal medullary cells has been investigated using indirect immunofluorescence and anti-dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) antibodies as a probe to identify catecholaminergic cells. TT binds to all rat adrenal medullary cells which display a neuronal phenotype induced by treatment with nerve growth factor and/or medium conditioned by C6 glioma cells. In contrast, 90-95% of the rounded DBH-positive cells are TT-negative, suggesting that in vitro-transdifferentiation of rat chromaffin cells alternates the expression of membrane properties. Cultured bovine chromaffin cells have no TT binding sites independent of their morphological phenotype.