Production of Monoclonal Antibodies AgainstCorpora CardiacaExtracts ofLocusta Migratoria:A Potential Tool for the Isolation of Insect Neurohormones

Abstract

Corpora cardiaca of Locusta migratoria contain the axon endings of the neurosecretory cells of the brain and store in neurosecretory granules a variety of mostly unidentified neurohormones. Homogena.tes of corpora cardiaca served to generate a. battery of monoclonal antibodies screened by their immunoreactivity to antigenic determinants present in the neurosecretory cells of the pars intercerebralis in the brain. The results are illustrated with three selected monoclonal antibodies which recognize antigens located within the neurosecretory granules of the pericarya of the pars intercerebralis, the cerebra-cardiac axon tracts and the axonic endings in the neurohaemal part of the corpora cardiaca. The apparent molecular weights of these antigenes were determined by Western blotting. vVe discuss the potential of these monoclonal antibodies for the isolation and structure determination of neuropeptides. monoclonal antibodies, neurosecretory cells, brain, immunocytochemistry, Locusta migratoria