Identification of a high molecular weight nervous system specific cell surface glycoprotein on murine neuroblastoma cells

An antiserum to N18 neuroblastoma cells has been used to identify a glycoprotein of apparent molecular weight greater than 200 000 D in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. This glycoprotein (Band 1) is found in culture medium of N18 cells. An immunologically similar component can be immunoprecipitated from detergent extracts of enzymatically iodinated or biosynthetically labelled viable cells. Anti-band 1 activity can be adsorbed from the antiserum by intact N18 cells but not four other cultured murine cell lines. Normal adult murine brain also adsorbs anti-band 1 activity but adult murine adrenal, heart, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen do not. Several experiments indicate that band 1 is not myosin heavy chain or the fibroblast LETS protein. Thus band 1 is a newly identified high molecular weight nervous system specific glycoprotein.