Staining Neuron-Glial Cultures-Related Markers

I have been receiving a growing number of requests for best techniques related to staining cultures of primary neurons and glia. I wanted to share this short, step by step protocol.

These requests are often catalyzed by a search of our growing Neuron/Glial Markers catalog. The objective being to find the right markers for a particular assay. I wanted to share examples of the potency of several Neurofilament or NF markers for labeling neurons:

1. Neurofilament NF-L-Mouse Monoclonal Antibody (Clone: DA2) and Neurofilament alpha-internexin/NF66-Whole Serum-Rabbit Antibody

Images: Cells grown from adult rat brainLarge cell in middle is stained with mouse monoclonal to NF-L clone DA2 (green). Another type of neuronal lineage cell was stained with rabbit polyclonal to alpha-internexin (red). These cells were mitotic but had several characteristics of neurons. Rat spinal cord homogenate showing the major intermediate filament proteins of the nervous system (lane 1). The remaining lanes show blots of this material stainted with various antibodies including NF-L. Protocols on data-sheet.

2. Neurofilament NF-H, phosphylated-Mouse Monoclonal and Neurofilament NF-L-Purified Chicken Polyclonal.

Image: View of mixed neuron/glial cultures stained with chicken polyclonal NF-L (red) and phosphorylated NF-H The NF-L protein is assembled into neurofilaments which are found throughout the axons, dendrites and perikarya of these cells. In contrast the phosphorylated NF-H has a much rmore restricted expression pattern, being found only in developed axonal neurofilaments. Since both proteins are found in neurofilaments, the red and green patterns overlap, so that neurofilaments containing NF-L and phosphorylated NF-H appear yellowish. In contrast neurofilaments containing only NF-L appear red. Protocol on datasheet.

Neurofilament Markers