Cortex cerebri pieces from fetal donors were homologously and bilaterally grafted to the anterior eye chamber of adult albino rats. After intraocular maturation, presence of an external glial membrane, glial membranes surrounding blood vessels and cortical astrocytes was demonstrated using antisera raised against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFA). Cortex cerebri pieces were also combined in the eye with a previously grafted locus coeruleus piece (LC). The amount of GFA-like immunoreactivity in such cortex grafts was much lower than in single cortex grafts. When compared to adult cortex cerebri in situ it was evident that the amount of GFA-like immunoreactivity in the cortex grafts combined with LC grafts was more normal than in single grafts. The difference in GFA-like immunoreactivity may be due to an increased number of astrocytes in isolated cortex grafts. Alternatively, the astrocytes in the cortex grafts combined with LC grafts are more normally matured and therefore do not stain immunohistochemically with GFA. It is concluded that the LC grafts in some way stimulate the maturation of the cortex grafts, probably by a diffusable or membrane-bound factor.
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Björklund et al. (2007) studied this question.