| A study of regeneration in the optic nerve of the goldfish was undertaken employing monoclonal antibodies (MoAb's) generated against antigens present in the visual system of the goldfish.;MoAb 2F8 and 2H5, were specific for goldfish tissues while MoAb 1E1T cross-reacted with antigens in the rat, rabbit, and human. The three MoAb's recognized non-neuronal cells in the optic nerve. The cell type recognized by MoAb 2F8 was distributed throughout the optic nerve and failed to respond to an optic nerve crush in any detectable manner. The cell type recognized by MoAb 2H5 was confined to the periphery of the nerve but following injury, the entire optic nerve below the crush site became labeled.;In the normal optic nerve MoAb 1E1T labeled connective tissue septa organized parallel to the optic axons, and a rare type of non-neuronal cell. In regenerating optic nerves the antigen recognized by MoAb 1E1T increased in the septa so that the septa spaned the length of the optic nerve. In regenerating optic nerves the cell type recognized by MoAb 1E1T accumulated at the crush site, within the septa and at the optic nerve head.;MoAb 1E1T was also employed to study optic and sciatic nerves of the rat. In the optic nerve both cell bodies and cellular processes were labeled. The cell type was prevalent in the nerve and resembled glial cells. Following a crush of the rat optic nerve these cells either died or lost their ability to produce the 1E1T antigen. In the sciatic nerve, MoAb 1E1T recognized a cell type that resembled non-myelinating Schwann cells. This cell type increased in regenerating sciatic nerves. There was also an increased staining of extracellar material. This result was similar to what was observed in the optic nerve of the goldfish.;MoAb 1E1T was next studied in goldfish embryos. In the early stages of development MoAb 1E1T recognized all the cells of the embryo. As the embryo matured the stain was lost being confined to nervous tissue soon after hatching. In the retina during embryogenesis, the antigen was present in all cells and by stage 25 + 4 the antigen was confined to the inner and outer plexiform layers. In the adult retina, the antigen was expressed by the Muller cells. The data suggest that the antigen is developmentally regulated. |
