Abstract
This chapter focuses on the cell surface antigens of the nervous system. Identification and immunological characterization of new and sometimes minor cell surface constituents allow distinguishing developmentally regulated and cell type-specific surface antigens. A methodological refinement in the study of neural cell surface antigens is available with the hybridoma technique of monoclonal antibody production. Antibodies may serve as analytical reagents to assay the molecular nature of the corresponding antigens characterized initially by purely immunological methods. These antigens can then be isolated and purified by affinity chromatography using specific immunoglobulins coupled to solid state carriers. Several cell surface antigens are attributed to three major neural cell classes—namely, the neuronal, astroglial, and oligodendroglial cells. Various immunological methods are used to investigate the cell type specificity of surface antigens. For the detection of nervous system-specific cell surface antigens, neural tumors have served an important role as the sources of immunogenic material. Immunoselective methods have led to the physical separation and isolation of the major neural cell populations, neuronal and glial cells, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. The isolated cell populations are viable and can be cultured in vitro.