
PeripherinisatypeIIIintermediatefilamentfoundinitiallyinsensoryneuronsoftheperipheralnervoussystem(PNS). ItservesasaMarkerforautonomicandsensoryneuronsinthePNSandmotorneuronsintheCNS.Peripherinisadiagnosticmarkerinamyotrophiclateralsclerosisandcertainneuronally-derivedtumors.Braininjuriescanalsotriggerexpressionofperipherinandtheformationofperipherinaccumulationsinneuronsthatarenormallysilentforthisgene.
Peripherinisalsoexpressedincertainneuroendocrinetumorsandintheinsulinproducingcellsofthepancreas. Autoantibodiestoperipherinarealsofrequentlyseenintheseraofpatientswithdiabetes.
Image:Ratmixedneuron/glialculturesstainedwithPeripherin(greenchannel)andNeurofilamentalpha-internexin/NF66 (greenchannel).Theseculturescontainmostlyneuronswhicharerichinalpha-internexin,andasubgroupwhichhavealargeamountofperipherinalso,suchastheprominentcellinthemiddleofthemicrograph.Sincethiscellexpresseslargeamountsofperipherinandalpha-internexin,thegreenandredsignalssuperimposetoproduceagoldencell.BlueisaDNAstain.Protocolondata-sheet.