Neurofilament NF-M

Neurofilaments can be defined as the intermediate or 10nm filaments found in specifically in neuronal cells. In the electron microscope neurofilaments appears as 10nm diameter fibres of indeterminate length which generally have fine wispy protrusions from their sides. They are found particularly abundantly in axons of large projection neurons. Antibodies to the various neurofilament subunits are very useful cell type markers since the proteins are among the most abundant of the nervous system, are expressed only in neurons, and are biochemically very stable.

Image: Culture of adult neural cells.  Mature neurons can be identified by their morphology and because they stain strongly with antibodies to NF-L, NF-M and NF-H. The surrounding stellate red cells are stained with Neurofilament alpha-internexin/NF66. These are apparently mitotic neuronal progenitor cells and express many other neuronal markers.

Image: Rat spinal cord homogenate showing the major intermediate filament proteins of the nervous system (lane 1). The remaining lanes show blots of this material stainted with various antibodies including NF-M (lane 3).