The Thy-1 glycoprotein on nerve cells in culture: electron-microscopic analysis and biochemical characterization

The distribution and some biochemical properties of the Thy-1 glycoprotein, an antigen common to brain and thymus-derived lymphocytes, were analyzed in primary nerve cell cultures from mouse embryos. The Thy-1 antigen was detected on the plasma membrane of most neurons and fibroblast-like cells and on some astrocytes. The labelling pattern was homogeneous, except on some neuronal cell bodies where the distribution varied from a few patches to a homogeneous labelling. The Thy-l molecules immunoprecipitated from either nerve cell cultures or from fibroblast-like cells from the meninges had similar molecular weights and isoelectric points. In contrast, Thy-1 from thymocytes was more heterogeneous in molecular weight and in isoelectric point range.