Thy-1 cell surface antigen on cloned nerve cell lines of the rat and mouse: amount, location and origin of the antigen on the cells.

The Thy-1 antigen is a cell surface glycoprotein found on a number of tissues of the rat and mouse, including neurons. The amount of this antigen has been measured on several rat and mouse clonal cell lines of nervous tissue origin. Three of the rat cell lines (clones PC12, BN1010-3, BN1010-1) were found to contain substantial amounts of the antigen, having as many as 1.6 million Thy-1 antigenic sites per cell. This amount was independent of the cell density or growth rate. Most, if not all, of the antigen is accessible to antibody binding on the external surface of the cells, and is synthesized by the cells.