Immunocytochemical localisation of gelsolin in oligodendroglia of the developing rabbit central nervous system

Antibodies raised against gelsolin of rabbit lung macrophages were used in an immunocytochemical study during development of the rabbit central nervous system. With the exception of a transient staining of the cerebellar Purkinje cells during the first postnatal week, gelsolin was found a new marker for oligodendrocytes, especially in developing animals. In the macrophages, gelsolin is involved in the control of locomotion, secretion and endocytosis. In the oligodendrocytes, which produce the myelin sheaths in the central nervous system, gelsolin could therefore be involved in the control of the complex motile events leading to myelin wrapping.