Monoclonal Antibodies That Label Discrete Cell Types in the Mammalian Nervous System

Abstract

Anatomical and electrophysiological studies have elucidated some of the morphological and physiological complexity of many areas of the CNS. From these studies, it is now possible to construct rudimentary “wiring diagrams” to explain the ways in which some information is processed. However, the cellular and molecular events underlying either the development or the function of any area of the CNS are not yet understood in any detail. Two of the recent tools of molecular biology, namely, monoclonal antibodies and recombinant DNA molecules, offer the possibility of defining some of the molecules of importance in the nervous system.