Developmental changes of fucosylated glycoconjugates in rabbit dorsal root ganglia

Developmental changes of the fucosylated glycoconjugates in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the rabbit were investigated histochemically using anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody and Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1) lectin. Neither anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody nor UEA-1 lectin bound to the neural tubes or to the neural crest on embryonic day 14 (E14). Anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody binds diffusely to the DRG of E25. Large neurons unreactive with anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody appeared at 1 month and increased within 6 months after birth. Schwann cells immunoreactive with anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody came to be limited to the satellite cells surrounding the positive neurons. No staining with UEA-1 lectin was observed in the DRG of E25. Some small neurons became reactive with UEA-1 lectin within 1 month and remained to be so at 6 months after birth. Schwann cells including satellite cells were unreactive with this lectin. Since fucosyl GM1 was detected in the lipid fraction of DRGs from 1-month-old and 6-month-old rabbits, fucosyl GM1 itself should be the antigen molecule recognized by the anti-fucosyl GM1 antibody. Further study is necessary to elucidate the association between these developmental changes of the fucosylated glycoconjugates in DRG and their possible functional roles.