Purkinje cell death after uptake of anti-Yo antibodies in cerebellar slice cultures.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration accompanying gynecological and breast cancers is characteristically accompanied by a serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibody response, termed "anti-Yo," which reacts with cytoplasmic proteins of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Because these antibodies interact with cytoplasmic rather than cell surface membrane proteins, their role in causing Purkinje cell death has been questioned. To address this issue, we studied the interaction of anti-Yo antibodies with Purkinje cells in slice (organotypic) cultures of rat cerebellum.