The expression of CD15 in dissociated cultured rat dorsal root ganglion cells

This study describes the presence of CD15 in dorsal root ganglia neurons in five experimental conditions: chemically defined medium and the same medium with added nerve growth factor, retinoic acid or antibodies against insulin or tyrosine phosphate. Positive astrocyte controls were used to differentiate the monoclonal antibodies that did not react with CD15. Those monoclonal antibodies which detected CD15 in this positive control were also used to study CD15 positivity in dorsal root ganglion cells. This study shows: (i) masking of the CD15 antibody, which influences the detection capacity of the monoclonal antibodies used; (ii) that CD15 discerns two subpopulations of DRG neurons: a CD15-positive and a CD15-negative population; (iii) that CD15 expression is not involved in the outgrowth of protrusions or the wrapping by non-neuronal cells of DRG neurons.