Cell type specificity of a neural cell surface antigen recognized by the monoclonal antibody A2B5.

The monoclonal antibody A2B5 reacts with the surface membrane of most neurons in monolayer cultures of cerebellum, retina, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglion of embryonic and early postnatal C57Bl/6 J mice maintained in vitro for culture periods of 2 to 10 days. A small percentage of astroglial cells also expresses A2B5 antigen in murine, chicken and rabbit cerebellum, in chicken retina, and in murine spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion. Less mature astroglial cells are strained for A2B5 antigen to a greater extent than the more mature astrocytes. Astrocytes from rat cerebellum and mouse retina were not found to express A2B5 antigen under the present culture conditons. Some of the less mature oligodendrocytes recognized by 04 antibodies express A2B5 antigen, while the more mature 01 antigen- and galactocerebroside-positive oligodendrocytes were not found to be A2B5 antigen-positive. Fibroblasts or fibroblast-like cells do not express detectable levels of A2B5 antigen. After fixation of the cells with paraformaldehyde and ethanol, all cell types present in culture are labeled by the A2B5 antibody intracellularly.