Expression of the carbohydrate epitope 3-fucosyl-N-acetyl-lactosamine (CD15) in the vertebrate cerebellar cortex

Summary The distribution of the carbohydrate epitope CD15 was investigated on paraffin sections of the brains of man and mammals (monkey, dog, rabbit, rat, mouse, dolphin), reptile, bird and fish by means of immunohistochemistry. This paper demonstrates a differential expression of the CD15 epitope in the cerebella of these various vertebrates. CD15 positivity was found on glial cells and neuronal structures. In adult brains two major distribution patterns were distinguished: one with very intense labelling of the molecular layer, for which the rat is representative, the other with very low immunoreactivity in this layer (mouse). Amongst the rodents (mouse, rat and rabbit), as well as the monkey and human, the positivity in the molecular layer could be attributed to Bergmann fibres of the Golgi epithelial cells. A typical parasagittal band pattern, present in the mouse molecular layer for CD15, which is absent in rat and rabbit molecular layer, is present during human cerebellar development. CD15 positivity on neuronal structures is found on parallel fibres in the developing human, on the lower stellate cells in the dog, and in climbing fibres of the dolphin and, presumably, the catfish too. Moreover, within the parrot cerebellum, large CD15-positive mossy fibre-like endings are found just at the infraplexiform layer.