Worm Breeder's Gazette 9(1): 84
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
Using indirect immunofluorescence on whole animal squashes with polyclonal antibodies made against mouse N-CAM, a small number (4) of neurons, are stained in the head of C. elegans males. These cells are most likely the four male specific cephalic neurons CEMs. This identification is based on the following criteria. (1) Neuronal staining is observed only in males, and not in hermaphrodites. (2) The cell bodies are in the proper positions to be the CEMs as determined by double labeling nuclei with Hoechst dye. (3) A similar pattern of staining is seen in heads of mutant ced-3 hermaphrodites (in which the CEM cells survive due to a block in programmed cell deaths). In addition to CEMs in male heads, a number of neurons are stained in the male tail nervous system which remain to be identified. Non- neural tissues stained with these antibodies include male vas deferens, and sperm. In hermaphrodites, a component of uterus, and sperm also stain. As reported in the last worm meeting, pharyngeal gland cells and excretory cells are stained both in males and in hermaphrodites. During early embryogenesis anti N-CAM antibodies apparently stain centrioles in dividing cells. The centrioler staining decreases in size as the number of cells increases during early embryonic development. We are currently studying the molecular specificity of these antibodies in wild type and him-5 animals to look for nerve specific antigen(s) recognized by N-CAM antibodies. In addition we are screening a number of mutants cytochemically for abnormal staining patterns.