Fibronectin-regulated methionine enkephalin-like and somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in quail neural crest cell cultures.

The presence of cells with peptidergic immunoreactivity in neural crest cell cultures and the influence of fibronectin on their in vitro differentiation were evaluated by indirect immunostaining. Met-enkephalin-like immunoreactive and somatostatin-like immunoreactive cells were observed. Met-enkephalin-like immunoreactive cells resembled endocrine cells. A variety of morphologies was observed in the cells with somatostatin-like immunoreactivity: cells without processes which looked like endocrine cells, multipolar cells with long varicose processes resembling sympathetic neurons, and bipolar cells which were similar to sensory neuroblasts. Differentiation of both types of peptidergic cells was promoted by adding fibronectin to the culture medium. The results suggest that neural crest cell cultures may become a valuable experimental system with which to study the early development of peripheral peptidergic neurons and endocrine cells.