Isolation, characterization, and application of monoclonal antibodies to rat tyrosine hydroxylase

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, tyrosine 3-monooxygenase; EC 1.14.16.2) activity in crude extracts of rat pheochromocytoma, rat brain, and bovine adrenal medulla can be immunoprecipitated in an indirect assay by monoclonal antibodies prepared against partially purified rat pheochromocytoma TH. One of these monoclonal antibodies, TH-2D8-2, can be used for immunocytochemical localization of TH in cell bodies, dendrites, and axons in catecholaminergic neurons (e.g., cells in the substantia nigra) of rat brain and in the cell body, neurites, and growth cones of rat pheochromocytoma cells after treatment with nerve growth factor. When linked to Affi-gel 10, this monoclonal antibody can also be used for immunoaffinity purification of rat and bovine TH. These results suggest that TH-2D8-2 is a valuable reagent with which to investigate the localization, physiological regulation, and function of this important enzyme.