Neurofilament phosphorylation in neuronal perikarya following axotomy: a study of rat spinal cord with ventral and dorsal root transection

Rat spinal cord was stained by indirect immunofluorescence with 11 neurofilament monoclonal antibodies that recognize phosphorylated epitopes. All monoclonals were axon-specific in this location. The large motoneurons containing bundles of neurofilaments did not stain and the pattern remained unchanged after transection of the sciatic nerve in the thigh. With nine monoclonals, stained motoneurons were observed in the ventral horns 3 days, 5 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks after transection of the ventral roots close to the spinal cord. The abnormal motoneurons were typically scattered among normal (i.e., nonstained) cells. Even in animals showing the most severe reaction, the whole motoneuron population at the site of rhizotomy was not affected, stained and nonstained perikarya often coexisting side by side. Stained motoneurons were no longer observed 3 weeks after ventral root transection. Changes in neuronal immunoreactivity were also observed after dorsal root transection. However, a different population was affected, i.e., middle-sized neurons in dorsal horns and at the base of ventral horns. With two monoclonals (A9 and D21), cell bodies remained negative following all operations. It is concluded that axotomy in proximity of the cell body may induce certain neurofilament phosphorylation events in motor neuron perikarya, whereas other phosphorylation events remain confined to the axons under these experimental conditions. The absence of changes after transection of the sciatic nerve in the thigh suggests that neurofilament phosphorylation is a reaction to cell injury rather than a cellular event related to nerve regeneration.