[NK cells and the nervous system]

Light- and electron-microscopic studies of human, mouse, rat and guinea pig tissue subjected to PAP and ABC immune reactions revealed, that a monoclonal antibody against human natural killer cells (LEU 7) reacted also specifically with neural elements. In man, not only NK cells, but also myelin sheaths, oligodendrocytes, neurones, astroglial and ependymal cells as well as some enterochromaffin cells were labelled. Similar results, with the exception of negative ependymal cells, were obtained in the laboratory animals investigated. Controls and experiments using another monoclonal antibody against human natural killer cells (VEP 13) were negative. The presence of an antigen shared by human natural killer cells and neural elements could be of importance for the pathogenesis of demyelinating disorders.