Glial and neuronal cells in amniotic fluid of anencephalic pregnancies

Cultured amniotic fluid cells from four anencephalic pregnancies were characterized in indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) microscopy using specific antibodies against different types of cytoskeletal intermediate filaments. Most of the cells showed a fine fibrillar cytoplasmic fluorescence with antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFA), indicating that amniotic fluid cells in anencephalic pregnancies are of glial origin. The GFA-positive cells were rapidly adhering and proliferating. They remained as the major cell type also in long term cultures, and could easily be recovered from liquid nitrogen without losing their GFA positivity. GFA-positive cells were pleomorphic in appearance, and occurred in several morphologically different shapes. Amniotic fluid from one of the anencephalic cases contained typical neuronal cells, which in IIF were GFA-negative but could specifically be stained with anti-neurofilament antibodies. Most of the GFA-negative cells in all the cases were fibroblasts, identified by their fluorescence only with antibodies against vimentin. Epithelial cells showing positive keratin-fluorescence in IIF, were seen only occasionally.