In memoriam Berta Scharrer 1906-1995

Continuous delivery of a monoclonal antibody against Reissner's fiber into CSF reveals CSF-soluble material immunorelated to the subcommissural organ in early chick embryos

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is an ependymal differentiation located in the dorsal midline of the caudal diencephalon under the posterior commissure. SCO cells synthesize and release glycoproteins into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) forming a threadlike structure known as Reissner's fiber (RF), which runs caudally along the ventricular cavities and the central canal of the spinal cord. Numerous monoclonal antibodies have been raised against bovine RF and the secretory material of the SCO. For this study, we selected the 4F7 monoclonal antibody based on its cross-reactivity with chick embryo SCO glycoproteins in vivo. E4 chick embryos were injected with 4F7 hybridoma cells or with the purified monoclonal antibody into the ventricular cavity of the optic tectum. The hybridoma cells survived, synthesized and released antibody into the CSF for at least 13 days after the injection. E5 embryos injected with 4F7 antibody displayed precipitates in the CSF comprising both the monoclonal antibody and anti-RF-positive material. Such aggregates were never observed in control embryos injected with other monoclonal antibodies used as controls. Western blot analysis of CSF from E4-E6 embryos revealed several immunoreactive bands to anti-RF (AFRU) antibody. We also found AFRU-positive material bound to the apical surface of the choroid plexus primordia in E5 embryos. These and other ultrastructural evidence suggest the existence of soluble SCO-related molecules in the CSF of early chick embryos.