Immunohistochemical evidence for the absence of central neuron projection to pial blood vessels and dura mater
Abstract
The present work shows that, in rat pial vessels and dura mater, all the nerve fibres observable by confocal fluorescence microscopy belong to the peripheral nervous system. It has been postulated that central nervous structures such as the raphe nuclei and the locus coeruleus could send direct projections to meningeal blood vessels. Mature neurons, whose perikaryons and axons are entirely located within the central nervous system, express the low molecular mass neurofilament protein and not the 57,000 mol. wt intermediate filament protein called "peripherin". This is the case for both raphe nuclei and locus coeruleus neurons [Leonard et al. (1988) J. Cell Biol. 106, 181-193]. Neurons which send axons outside the central nervous system or ganglionic neurons of the peripheral nervous system systematically express both proteins [Portier et al. (1984) Devl Neurosci. 6, 335-344]. Double labelling of pial vessels and meningeal tissue with antibodies directed against low molecular mass neurofilament and peripherin revealed nerve fibres immunoreactive to both antibodies and no nerve fibres reactive only to the low molecular mass neurofilament antibody. Conversely, cortical nerve fibres were immunoreactive only to the low molecular mas...Continue Reading