REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF NEURAL CELL-ADHESION MOLECULE (N-CAM) AND L1 IN HUMAN AND RODENT HIPPOCAMPUS

Cell surface adhesion molecules N-CAM and Ll are implicated in central nervous system (CNS) cell migration and axon outgrowth in in vitro and in vivo developmental studies. These molecules show a differential distribution during CNS development, thus suggesting that they subserve different roles in process outgrowth and tissue organization. A variety of N-CAM isoforms are known, and individual N-CAMs undergo posttranslational modification. Such changes and the potential for generating numerous molecules may mediate development of specific neural cell contacts and circuitry. We evaluated immunohistochemical staining of polyclonal antibodies to Ll and N-CAM, as well as monoclonal antibodies directed against embryonic N-CAM and the 140 and 180 kDa species of N-CAM in human, rat, and mouse hippocampus. Staining patterns in the three species were qualitatively similar, but staining in the mouse hippocampus was quantitatively greater for some epitopes. A distinctive pattern of staining was found, corresponding to the known anatomy of the structure. Total N-CAM staining was intense in the hilus and inner molecular layer (ML) of the dentate gyrus with lighter staining in the dentate outer ML. The mossy fiber tract (MFT), comprising axons traveling from the dentate granule cells to CA3 pyramidal cells, was strongly stained by polyclonal antibody to N-CAM. There was abundant staining of the stratum radiatum (SR) and stratum oriens (SO) of CA1, but stratum lacunosum moleculare (LM) showed very little staining. The monoclonal antibody 12F11, which recognizes the 140 and 180 kDa forms of N-CAM, intensely stained the MFT, hilus, and inner ML. With 12F11, SO and SR stained uniformly throughout CA1, with much reduced staining in CA2 and CA3. There was little staining in LM. L1 staining was more evenly distributed throughout the hippocampus and dentate, with light hilar and MFT staining, and even staining through the SR and SO. Stratum LM stained intensely for L1, with a narrow clear zone between SR and LM. The ML of the dentate gyrus stained intensely with anti-L1, with a discrete clear zone separating the inner and outer ML. Embryonic N-CAM had little staining in CA1 but strong hilar and MFT staining; thus, this ''embryonic'' determinant continues to be expressed in limited regions in the adult. In contrast to the adult rodent hippocampus, human hippocampus exhibited embryonic N-CAM in the outer two-thirds of the ML, but showed very little staining in the hilar region. These distinctive patterns suggest that the distribution of the N-CAM and Ll molecular species have clear-cut structural and functional roles in the laminated circuitry of the hippocampus.