Localization of calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP) in the peripheral nerve.

Localization of calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP) in the rat peripheral nerve was studied by an indirect immunofluorescent method, using rabbit antiserum against CANP extracted from chicken skeletal muscle. Its specificity to CANP, as well as its cross-reactivity with rat CANP, were confirmed by the Ouchterlony immunodiffusion procedure and immunoreplica method. CANP was demonstrated in the axon, but not in the myelin sheath or endoneurium. We could not conclude whether or not CANP in axons exists in association with neurofilaments.