Immunohistochemical localization of polysialic acid in tissue sections: differential binding to polynucleotides and DNA of a murine IgG and a human IgM monoclonal antibody

• Published in: The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 209 - 215
• Main Authors: Husmann, M, Roth, J, Kabat, E A, Weisgerber, C, Frosch, M, Bitter-Suermann, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-02-1990; Histochemical Society
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, immunoglobulins; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibody Affinity; Antigens - analysis; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry; Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal - analysis; DNA - analysis; DNA Probes - analysis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - analysis; Immunohistochemistry; Liver - analysis; Liver - immunology; Liver - ultrastructure; Mice; Molecular immunology; Monoclonal antibodies; Polynucleotides - analysis; Sialic Acids - analysis; Sialic Acids - immunology; Staining and Labeling; Immunohistochemistry; Brain; Sialic acid; Rat; Antibody; Rodentia; Tissue; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Binding capacity; DNA; Cross reaction; Localization; Polysaccharide; ELISA assay
• ISSN: 0022-1554; 1551-5044
• DOI: 10.1177/38.2.1688896

For immunolocalization of alpha(2-8)-linked polysialic acid, which forms part of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), two monoclonal antibodies, MAb735 and IgMNOV, were employed. Both antibodies have previously been shown to bind the extremely low immunogenic capsular polysaccharide of group B meningococci, which also consists of alpha(2-8) polysialic acid, but not to other, even closely related forms of polysialic acid. Despite the identical polysaccharide specificity of these two MAb, we observed marked differences of the staining pattern in tissue sections. We showed that these differences in immunostaining were due to the crossreactivity of IgMNOV with polynucleotides and DNA. MAb735, however, was shown to react exclusively with alpha(2-8) polysialic acid. Moreover, the specificity of MAb735 proved to be unique among eleven other MAb directed against various bacterial polysaccharides, as it was the only one unreactive with polynucleotides. Thus, MAb735, the only IgG type mouse monoclonal antibody to polysialic acid thus far reported, can be considered a specific probe for the unambiguous detection of alpha(2-8) polysialic acid in tissue sections, and should therefore help to further elucidate the role of polysialic acid in developmental processes.