Ultrastructural immunocytochemical localization of B-50/GAP43, a protein kinase C substrate, in isolated presynaptic nerve terminals and neuronal growth cones

Differential expression of the beta I- and beta II-PKC subspecies in the postnatal developing rat brain; an immunocytochemical study

Differential expression of protein kinase C subspecies, beta I- and beta II-PKC, derived from a single gene by alternative splicing was evidenced in the postnatal developing rat brain. Immunoblot analysis of the PKC subspecies in the whole developing brain showed that beta I-PKC was present at birth and then gradually increased, while beta II-PKC was not present at birth or on postnatal day 3, then increased rapidly from day 7 to the maximum value seen in the adult brain. Under light microscopy, beta I-PKC immunoreactivities seen at birth were the most intense in the brainstem and intense in the diagonal bundle and globus pallidus. beta I-PKC immunoreactivities in these neurons weakened from day 7 and disappeared in the adult brain, while in the cerebral cortex, triangular septal nucleus and pontine nucleus beta I-PKC immunoreactivities were week at birth and then gradually increased. beta II-PKC immunoreactivities were first visible in neurons on day 7 and increased progressively. beta I- and beta II-PKCs were not co-localized in a neuron, as far as examined. The immunoreactivities of beta I-PKC at birth were localized in growth cone-like structures as well as in the dendrites and perikarya. Similarly, alpha-PKC was also present at birth in the growth cone-like structure. Immunoblot analysis revealed that beta I-PKC was present at birth in the growth cone-rich fraction from the hindbrain but not in that from the forebrain, while alpha-PKC was found in the growth cone-rich fraction from both the forebrain and the hindbrain. beta II- and gamma-PKC were not detected in the growth cone-rich fraction from either forebrain or hindbrain. These findings suggest that beta I- and beta II-PKC play a role in different stages of development and in different neurons; both beta-subspecies may be involved in postnatal developing neuronal functions while only beta I-PKC plays functional roles in the growth cone, in the prenatal developmental stage.

Immunohistochemical localization of GAP-43 in rat and human sympathetic nervous system--effects of aging and diabetes

The neuronal 43 kDa growth associated peptide (GAP-43) is expressed in conditions of embryonic growth, axonal regeneration, and, to a limited degree, within the central nervous system as an indicator of synaptic plasticity. Although much is known about the expression of GAP-43 in cultured sympathetic neurons, information concerning the existence, immunolocalization and response of GAP-43 to experimental injury is not available for intact sympathetic ganglia in vivo. In this study we have characterized the in situ distribution and identity of GAP-43 in adult rat and human prevertebral and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods. Antisera to GAP-43 intensely labeled intraganglionic presynaptic axons and synapses terminating on neurons of normal adult rat and human sympathetic ganglia in situ. There was minimal GAP-43 immunoreactivity of principal sympathetic neuron perikarya, proximal dendrites and initial axonal segments. The immunohistologic appearance of GAP-43 was unchanged in the ganglia of aged and diabetic rats and elderly humans, conditions in which presynaptic terminal axons and synapses show evidence of chronic degeneration, regeneration and neuroaxonal dystrophy, an unusual ultrastructural alteration which may represent disordered synaptic plasticity. Radioimmunoassay of ganglionic GAP-43 is comparable in young adult, aged and diabetic rat prevertebral or paravertebral sympathetic ganglia. Double immunolocalization of NPY (which labeled markedly swollen dystrophic axons) and GAP-43 in human sympathetic ganglia using a sequential immunogold-silver/fluorescence technique demonstrated that typical dystrophic axons contain little GAP-43.

Role of the growth-associated protein B-50/GAP-43 in neuronal plasticity

The neuronal phosphoprotein B-50/GAP-43 has been implicated in neuritogenesis during developmental stages of the nervous system and in regenerative processes and neuronal plasticity in the adult. The protein appears to be a member of a family of acidic substrates of protein kinase C (PKC) that bind calmodulin at low calcium concentrations. Two of these substrates, B-50 and neurogranin, share the primary sequence coding for the phospho- and calmodulin-binding sites and might exert similar functions in axonal and dendritic processes, respectively. In the adult brain, B-50 is exclusively located at the presynaptic membrane. During neuritogenesis in cell culture, the protein is translocated to the growth cones, i.e., into the filopodia. In view of many positive correlations between B-50 expression and neurite outgrowth and the specific localization of B-50, a role in growth cone function has been proposed. Its phosphorylation state may regulate the local intracellular free calmodulin and calcium concentrations or vice versa. Both views link the B-50 protein to processes of signal transduction and transmitter release.

Immuno-electronmicroscopic visualization of cell adhesion molecule L1 in adult rat pyramidal tract: localization on neuronal and oligodendrocytic processes

The immuno-electronmicroscopic localization of cell adhesion molecule L1 is investigated in adult rat pyramidal tract (PT) at the fifth/sixth cervical spinal cord segment, both by pre-embedding on vibratome sections and by immunogold-labelling on ultra-cryosections. L1-immunoreactivity (L1-IR) can be noted not only on the surface of unmyelinated PT axons, the outer axonal membrane, but also within the axoplasm of myelinated PT axons as well as periaxonally between axolemma and compact myelin. Compact myelin is L1-negative. Interestingly, L1-IR is found in between the inner oligodendrocytic mesaxon and compact myelin. Hence, L1 is expressed by this type of glial cell in adult rat PT. In conclusion, L1 is suggested to be important in the adult rat PT, not only with respect to the adhesion between unmyelinated PT axons but also during stabilization of the mature neuron-oligodendrocyte interaction.

Noradrenaline release from streptolysin O-permeated rat cortical synaptosomes: effects of calcium, phorbol esters, protein kinase inhibitors, and antibodies to the neuron-specific protein kinase C substrate B-50 (GAP-43)

We studied the molecular mechanism of noradrenaline release from the presynaptic terminal and the involvement of the protein kinase C substrate B-50 (GAP-43) in this process. To gain access to the interior of the presynaptic terminal, we searched for conditions to permeate rat brain synaptosomes by the bacterial toxin streptolysin O. A crude synaptosomal/mitochondrial preparation was preloaded with [3H]noradrenaline. After permeation with 0.8 IU/ml streptolysin O, noradrenaline efflux could be induced in a concentration-dependent manner by elevating the free Ca2+ concentration from 10(-8) to 10(-5) M. Efflux of the cytosolic marker protein lactate dehydrogenase was not affected by this increase in Ca2+. Ca2(+)-induced efflux of noradrenaline was largely dependent on the presence of exogenous ATP. Changing the Na+/K+ ratio in the buffer did not affect Ca2(+)-induced noradrenaline release. Release of noradrenaline could also be evoked by phorbol esters, indicating the involvement of protein kinase C. Ca2(+)- and phorbol ester-induced release were not additive at higher phorbol ester concentrations (greater than 10(-7) M). We compared the sensitivities of Ca2(+)- and phorbol ester-induced release of noradrenaline to the protein kinase inhibitors H-7 and polymyxin B and to antibodies raised against synaptic protein kinase C substrate B-50. Ca2(+)-induced release was inhibited by B-50 antibodies and polymyxin B, but not by H-7; phorbol ester-induced release was inhibited by polymyxin B and by H-7, but only marginally by antibodies to B-50.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Monoclonal antibodies show that kinase C phosphorylation of GAP-43 during axonogenesis is both spatially and temporally restricted in vivo

To study the role of kinase C phosphorylation in the distribution and function of GAP-43 we have generated a panel of mAbs that distinguish between GAP-43 that has been phosphorylated by kinase C and forms that have not. One class of antibodies, typified by 2G12/C7, reacts with only the phosphorylated form of GAP-43; it recognizes the peptide IQAS(PO4)FR equivalent to residues 38-43 that includes the single kinase C phosphorylation site at serine. Another, exemplified by 10E8/E7, reacts with both phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms. We have used the antibodies to study the distribution of kinase C-phosphorylated GAP-43 during axonogenesis and in the adult nervous system. Two major findings emerge. First, there is a lag between the initiation of axon outgrowth and the phosphorylation of GAP-43 by kinase C. The extent of this lag period varies between the different structures studied. In some cases, e.g., the trigeminal nerve, our result suggest that kinase C phosphorylation may be correlated with proximity of the growing axon to its target. Second, kinase C-phosphorylated GAP-43 is always spatially restricted to the distal axon. It is never seen either proximally or in cell bodies, even those with high levels of GAP-43 protein. This result also implies that GAP-43 is axonally transported in the non-kinase C phosphorylated form. Thus, kinase C phosphorylation of GAP-43 is not required for axon outgrowth or growth cone function per se and may be more related to interactions of the growth cone with its environment.

Ultrastructural localization of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and the phosphoprotein B-50/growth-associated protein 43 in freeze-substituted, Lowicryl HM20-embedded mesencephalic central gray substance of the rat

Previous studies have shown that the endogenous phosphorylation of the neuron-specific protein B-50 in isolated synaptic plasma membranes is inhibited by adrenocorticotrophic hormone(1-24). The aim of this study is to examine if there is a specific neuroanatomical interaction of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and B-50 in the mesencephalic central gray substance of the rat. With light microscopy, high B-50 immunoreactivity was detected throughout the mesencephalic central gray substance, overlapping with those areas where adrenocorticotrophic hormone-immunoreactive fibres were present. To study the ultrastructural localization of B-50 and adrenocorticotrophic hormone, we employed a method of immunogold labelling on ultrathin sections of freeze-substituted and Lowicryl HM20-embedded fixed brain tissue. This offered optimal morphological preservation together with high retention of antigenicity. At the electron microscopic level, adrenocorticotrophic hormone immunoreactivity was detected in dense-core secretory granules present in non-junctional regions of axoinal varicosities. This suggests a non-synaptic release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone from the axons. Using double immunolabelling techniques we showed that in adrenocorticotrophic hormone-innervated areas of the mesencephalic central gray substance B-50 immunoreactivity was present at plasma membranes of all unmyelinated axons and axonal varicosities and virtually absent in dendrites. The result on B-50 localization agrees well with previous studies in the hippocampus [Van Lookeren Campagne et al. 1990 J. Neurocytol. 19, 948-961] and in the pyramidal tract [Gorgels et al. 1989 J. Neurosci. 9, 3861-3869] of the rat and suggests that in the mature rat central nervous system, B-50 expression in axons is a general phenomenon. For the adrenocorticotrophic hormone-innervated areas, we discuss the proposal that non-synaptically released adrenocorticotrophic hormone modulates B-50 phosphorylation in axons and axon terminals.

Developmental changes in B-50 (GAP-43) in primary cultures of cerebral cortex: B-50 immunolocalization, axonal elongation rate and growth cone morphology

Changes in neurite outgrowth parameters and in the immunolocalization of the neuronal growth-associated protein B-50 (GAP-43) were studied in cultured neocortex as a function of development. In addition, we studied the effects of chronic blockade of bioelectric activity (BEA) with tetrodotoxin (TTX) on these parameters. Axonal outgrowth rate in control cultures reached a maximum at 8 days in vitro (DIV) and declined to a low level at 21 DIV. B-50 staining shifted from the perikaryon to the axons and growth cones during the first 3 DIV. In axons the intensity of B-50 staining increased towards the growth cone. Within growth cones, the central/basal region and filopodia were intensely stained, whereas lamellipodia showed only marginal staining. Growth cone size gradually decreased after 3 DIV, due to the successive loss of lamellipodia and filopodia, and became club-shaped during the second week, until by 21 DIV growth cones were completely lost, and axons started retracting and degenerated. In the central area of the cultures, growth cones also decreased in size with time, but became stabilized as presynaptic elements onto other neurons. Acute addition of TTX did not affect the outgrowth rate at 6 DIV. Chronic TTX treatment led to an earlier retraction and degeneration of axons than in control cultures and to a loss of B-50-stained cells and varicosities during the third week, but did not affect growth cone morphology or B-50 staining. The regressive phenomena are probably due to an increased neuronal cell death shown to occur after chronic TTX treatment. The developmental changes in axonal elongation rate and growth cone morphology may be related to developmental changes in the content and/or phosphorylation of B-50 (GAP-43, which are studied in the same cultures in the following paper (Ramakers et al. (1991) Int. J. Devl Neurosci. 9, 231-241].

Neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells deficient in GAP-43

The neuronal cell line PC12 undergoes a well-documented morphological and biochemical differentiation when treated with NGF and other growth factors. A hallmark of this growth factor-mediated differentiation is the induction of the growth-associated protein, GAP-43. Here we show that a PC12 cell line which is capable of NGF-, bFGF-, and cAMP-mediated neurite outgrowth is deficient in GAP-43 protein and full-length mRNA, as measured by immunocytochemistry, Western blot, Northern blot, and PCR analyses, respectively. We propose that the GAP-43 protein may not be essential for the initial extension and maintenance of neurites induced by these neuritogenic factors; rather, its role may lie predominantly in growth cone function and in the operation of the presynaptic terminal.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are expressed and enriched in growth cone membranes isolated from fetal and neonatal rat forebrain: pharmacological demonstration and characterization

Nerve growth cones, the motile tips of growing neurites, are closely related to the exact pathway finding, and their roles for synaptogenesis have been proposed to be modified by some neurotransmitters. In the present study, to clarify the expression and the ontogeny of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in growth cones, growth cone membranes from fetal and neonatal rat forebrain were isolated, and muscarinic receptors in growth cone membrane were pharmacologically characterized, by using the [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate as a labeled ligand. The specific binding sites for [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate had already been detected in growth cone membrane on embryonic day (E)17 (Bmax = 557 fmol/mg protein: KD = 19.7 pM) and gradually increased in amount without significant changes in the KD values from E17 to postnatal day (P)5. [3H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in growth cone membrane were several times higher than that in the P2-fraction-derived membranes, and in perinuclear membranes. Competitive inhibition studies showed that the proportion of high-affinity sites for pirenzepine (M1-subtype) to total [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in growth cone membrane was significantly lower than that in adult synaptic plasma membranes. In contrast, the proportion of high-affinity sites for AF-DX 116 (M2-subtype) was significantly higher than that in adult synaptic plasma membranes (E17 growth cone membrane: M1, 29.5%; M2, 56.9%; adult synaptic plasma membrane: M1, 63.6%, M2, 5.9%). Electron micrographic examination revealed that there were no significant morphological differences among growth cone particle fractions at the developmental stages which we examined, and that mature synaptic elements did not contaminate the growth cone particle fractions. Biochemical examination by electrophoresis and the phosphorylation study of the growth cone particle fractions showed that the protein composition and the phosphoprotein pattern did not change markedly during these stages. Our results suggest that muscarinic receptors were expressed and more concentrated in growth cone membrane than in other membrane portions from perinatal rat forebrain, and that they may play some role in the axonal guidance in growth cone via receptor subtype-specific signal transduction mechanisms.

Immunoreactive GAP-43 in the neuropil of adult rat neostriatum: localization in unmyelinated fibers, axon terminals, and dendritic spines

GAP-43 is a neuron-specific phosphoprotein that has been implicated in neuronal development, axonal regeneration, and synaptic plasticity. Although in mammals the caudate-putamen is among those brain areas that retain a high content of GAP-43 throughout life, the role of the phosphoprotein in the neostriatum is unknown. In order to understand better the possible function(s) of GAP-43 in the adult striatum, its cellular localization was examined with immunohistochemistry at the light and electron microscopic levels by using a sheep polyclonal antibody. At the light microscopic level immunoreactive GAP-43 was abundant throughout the neostriatal neuropil but was absent from neuronal somata. At the ultrastructural level, labeling was most prevalent in small unmyelinated axons (0.12-0.15 microns diameter). Reaction product was distributed along fibers in discrete patches about 1 micron apart and in preterminal sites from which vesicle-filled boutons arose. Staining was also present in small (0.35 microns) axon terminals that contained round vesicles and formed asymmetric synapses, mostly with thin spines. Following unilateral cortical lesions, some degenerating cortical axons in the neostriatum exhibited GAP-43 labeling. Unexpectedly, in normal striatum, GAP-43 was also occasionally found in the heads of dendritic protrusions and in thin spines that received asymmetric contacts. We speculate that in the adult neostriatum, the protein may be important in the remodeling of synapses onto medium spiny neurons that involve, in part, the corticostriatal pathway.

Ultrastructural double localization of B-50/GAP43 and synaptophysin (p38) in the neonatal and adult rat hippocampus

B-50/GAP43, a neuron-specific phosphoprotein, is highly expressed in developing nervous tissue. Monospecific polyclonal affinity-purified B-50 antibodies were used to document the ultrastructural distribution of B-50 in the hippocampus of 90-day-old (P90) and 1-day-old (P1) rats. Double-labelling immunoprocedures were performed to compare the localization of B-50 and synaptophysin (p38), a protein specific for synaptic vesicles. By immunofluorescence light microscopy B-50 and p38 were similarly distributed in the CA1 neuropil of P90 rats. In contrast, in P1 rats B-50 was more widely distributed than p38. By electron microscopy of P90 hippocampus, B-50 was located at the plasma membranes of axon shafts and of p38-immunoreactive axon terminals. Some B-50 was found in the cytosol of axon terminals. B-50 was absent at the plasma membranes of apical dendrites and of pyramidal cells. In the P1 rat hippocampus, B-50 was detected at the plasma membrane of growth cones, axon terminals and axon shafts, but not in their cytosol. The plasma membranes of pyramidal cell bodies and their processes extending into the stratum radiatum were without B-50. B-50-immunoreactive organelles of the lysosomal family were found in the cytosol of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus of P1 and P90 rats. This ultrastructural study shows that during development of the stratum radium in the hippocampal field CA1, the localization of B-50 persist at the plasma membrane of axons and axon terminals in P1 and P90 rats. This localization of B-50 is consistent with the suggestion that B-50 acts as a regulator of neurotransmitter release and intracellular messengers.

Neurotransmitter release

Axon terminals release more than one physiologically active substance. Synaptic messengers may be stored in two different types of vesicles. Small electron-lucent vesicles mainly store classical low molecular weight transmitter substances and the larger electron-dense granules store and release proteins and peptides. Release of the two types of substances underlies different physiological control. Release of messenger molecules from axon terminals is triggered by influx of Ca2+ through voltage sensitive Ca2+ channels and a rise in cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations. Neither the immediate Ca2+ target(s) nor the molecular species involved in synaptic vesicle docking, fusion and retrieval are known. It is, however, likely that steps involved in the molecular cascade of transmitter release include liberation of vesicles from their association with the cytonet and phosphorylation by protein kinase C of proteins which have the ability to alter between membrane bound and cytoplasmic forms and thus facilitate or initiate the molecular interaction between synaptic vesicles and the plasma membrane.

GAP-43 in the cat visual cortex during postnatal development

GAP-43 levels have been determined by immunoassay in cat visual cortex during postnatal development to test the idea that GAP-43 expression could be related to the duration of the critical period for plasticity. For comparison, GAP-43 levels have also been assayed in primary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and cerebellum at each age. GAP-43 levels were high in all regions at 5 d (with concentrations ranging from 7-10 ng/microgram protein) and then declined 60-80% by 60 d of age. After 60 d of age, GAP-43 concentrations in each region continued a slow decline to adult values, which ranged from 0.5-2 ng/microgram protein. To test for the involvement of GAP-43 in ocular dominance plasticity during the critical period, the effect of visual deprivation on GAP-43 levels was investigated. Monocular deprivation for 2-7 d, ending at either 27 or 35 d of age, had no effect on total membrane levels of GAP-43. The concentrations of membrane-associated GAP-43 prior to 40 d of age correlate with events that occur during postnatal development of the cat visual cortex. However, the slow decline in membrane-associated GAP-43 levels after 40 d of age may be an index of relative plasticity remaining after the peak of the critical period.

Depolarization-induced phosphorylation of the protein kinase C substrate B-50 (GAP-43) in rat cortical synaptosomes

We studied the molecular events underlying K(+)-induced phosphorylation of the neuron-specific protein kinase C substrate B-50. Rat cortical synaptosomes were prelabelled with 32P-labelled orthophosphate. B-50 phosphorylation was measured by an immunoprecipitation assay. In this system, various phorbol esters, as well as a synthetic diacylglycerol derivative, enhance B-50 phosphorylation. K+ depolarization induces a transient enhancement of B-50 phosphorylation, which is totally dependent on extracellular Ca2+. Also, the application of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 induces B-50 phosphorylation, but the magnitude and kinetics of A23187-induced B-50 phosphorylation differ from those induced by depolarization. The protein kinase inhibitors 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7), N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), and staurosporine antagonize K(+)- as well as PDB-induced B-50 phosphorylation, whereas trifluoperazine and calmidazolium are ineffective under both conditions. We suggest that elevation of the intracellular Ca2+ level after depolarization is a trigger for activation of protein kinase C, which subsequently phosphorylates its substrate B-50. This sequence of events could be of importance for the mechanism of depolarization-induced transmitter release.

Evidence for a relationship between B-50 (GAP-43) and [3H]noradrenaline release in rat brain synaptosomes

Phosphorylation of the neuron-specific substrate of protein kinase C (PKC), B-50 (GAP-43), was studied parallel with noradrenaline release in rat brain synaptosomes. Both could be evoked by treating the synaptosomes with high K+ or veratridine. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate enhanced depolarization-induced B-50 phosphorylation and noradrenaline release. To investigate the involvement of PKC-mediated B-50 phosphorylation in noradrenaline release, we applied a variety of kinase inhibitors. Prior to measuring the effects of these inhibitors in intact synaptosomes, we determined their effectivity and specificity in a membrane phosphorylation assay. H-7 most specifically inhibited PKC-dependent phosphorylation, whereas calmidazolium inhibited calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation. Polymyxin B affected both protein kinase systems. Only polymyxin B effectively inhibited noradrenaline release in the intact synaptosomes. We conclude that PKC as well as calmodulin-dependent processes are important for the release event. Data are discussed in view of the presumed function of B-50 as a calmodulin-binding protein.

4-Aminopyridine stimulates B-50 (GAP-43) phosphorylation in rat synaptosomes

Recently, we have shown that stimulation of [3H]-noradrenaline release from hippocampal slices by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) is accompanied by an enhancement of the phosphorylation of B-50, a major presynaptic substrate of protein kinase C (PKC). PKC has been implicated in the regulation of transmitter release. In this study, we investigated the effects of 4-AP on B-50 phosphorylation in synaptosomes from rat brain and compared the effects of 4-AP with those of depolarization with K+, in order to gain more insight into the mechanism of action of 4-AP. B-50 phosphorylation was stimulated by incubation with 4-AP for 2 minutes at concentrations ranging from 10 microM to 5 mM. 4-AP (100 microM) stimulated B-50 phosphorylation already within 15 seconds; longer incubations revealed a sustained increase in the presence of 4-AP. B-50 phosphorylation was also stimulated by depolarization with 30 mM K+ for 15 seconds. The effects of both 4-AP or K+ depolarization on B-50 phosphorylation were abolished at low extracellular Ca2+ concentrations. The increase in B-50 phosphorylation induced by 4-AP seemed to be dependent on the state of depolarization, since the effect of 4-AP was largest under nondepolarizing conditions. Comparing the effects of 4-AP and K+ depolarization on B-50 phosphorylation suggests that a different mechanism of action is involved. These results indicate that the stimulation of B-50 phosphorylation by 4-AP in hippocampal slices can be attributed to a direct action of 4-AP on presynaptic terminals. In addition, our results support the hypothesis that B-50 phosphorylation by PKC is involved in Ca2(+)-dependent transmitter release evoked by 4-AP.

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of cell adhesion molecule L1 in developing rat pyramidal tract

The glycoprotein L1 is a cell adhesion molecule that has been proposed to function in the peripheral nervous system in axon fasciculation and onset of myelination. In this report we localize L1 during the development of a major central pathway: the pyramidal tract. The (sub)cellular localization of L1 was determined both by pre-embedding staining on Vibratome sections and by immunogold labelling on ultracryosections in developing rat pyramidal tract at the fifth cervical segment. On arrival at the fifth cervical segment, i.e. at postnatal day 1, growth cones of pioneer fibres did not exhibit L1-immunoreactivity. In the contact zone between pyramidal tract growth cones and glial processes no L1-immunoreactivity was observed. A clear L1-immunoreactivity was noted on small unmyelinated other axons situated in the entrance area of the pyramidal tract growth cones. Also on later arriving, i.e. between postnatal days 2 and 10, small unmyelinated fasciculating pyramidal tract axons L1 were present. It is our impression that L1 is localized in an irregular patchy way on the outer side of the axonal membrane. During the onset of myelination, i.e. between postnatal days 10 and 14, L1 could not be detected on axons ensheathed by oligodendrocytic processes. When myelination is largely completed, i.e. at postnatal day 21, the L1 antigen could be localized within the axoplasma of both unmyelinated and myelinated pyramidal tract axons. Furthermore, L1 could be observed occasionally on small unmyelinated pyramidal tract axons. Whereas compact myelin was always L1-negative, L1 was noted periaxonally between the axolemma and compact myelin and at (para)nodal regions at the contact zone between axolemma and oligodendrocytic processes. From these results it may be deduced that: (1) L1 is involved in fasciculation of outgrowing later arriving pyramidal tract fibres: (2) L1 is not involved in the onset of myelination in this central tract; (3) L1 might play an additional adhesive role in myelinated rat pyramidal tract.

Role of the growth cone in neuronal differentiation

Nerve growth cones are motile, exploring organelles at the tip of a growing neurite. The growth cone is a highly specialized structure, equipped with a complex machinery for reversible membrane expansion and rapid cytoskeletal reorganization, a machinery required for growth cone motility and neurite elongation. It also contains perception systems that enable the growth cone to respond to external signals, thereby steering the trailing neurite to the correct target. Soluble and substrate bound guidance molecules in the environment modulate growth cone behavior either through direct interaction or classical receptor activation coupled to second messengers. A prominent phosphoprotein of the growth cone is B-50. We propose a role for this growth-associated protein kinase C substrate in signal transduction processes in the growth cone.