Effect of gamma-interferon on the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I and II gene products in neural cells isolated from the developing human fetal peripheral nervous system.

The effect of gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene products was examined in the developing human fetal peripheral nervous system. RNA blot hybridization analysis of total RNA isolated from human fetal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neural cell populations cultured in vitro for 5 days resulted in the detection of both MHC class I- and class II-specific RNAs. As determined by protein immunoblotting and fluorescence-activated flow cytometry, MHC class I and II proteins were also readily detectable in cultured human fetal DRG neural cell populations 5 days after isolation.