Immunolocalization of NR1, NR2A, and PSD-95 in rat hippocampal subregions during postnatal development

Although the expression of NMDARs and synaptic-associated proteins has been widely studied, the temporospatial distribution of NMDAR subunits and synaptic proteins in different hippocampal subregions during postnatal development still lacks detailed information, and the relationship between NR1 or NR2 subunits and PSD-95 family proteins is controversial. In this study, we used immunofluorescent staining to assess NR1 or NR2A and PSD-95 expressions and the relationship between them in CA1, CA3, and DG of rat hippocampus on postnatal (P) days: P0, P4, P7, P10, P14, P21, P28, P56. The results showed that from P0 to P56, NR1, NR2A, and PSD-95 expressions increased gradually, and the time points of their expression peak differed in CA1, CA3, and DG during postnatal development. Interestingly, although the expression of PSD-95 was positively correlated to both NR1 and NR2A, the NR1 and PSD-95 coexpressed puncta were greatest in CA3, while NR2A and PSD-95 coexpressed puncta were greatest in CA1, compared to other subregions. Surprisingly, at P21, among different strata of CA1, the area of highest expression of NR2A was dramatically changed from stratum pyramidale to stratum polymorphum and stratum moleculare, and returned to stratum pyramidale gradually on the later observed days again, indicating that P21 may be one critical timepoint during postnatal development in CA1. The specific temporospatial distribution pattern of NR1, NR2A, and PSD-95 might be related to the different physiological functions during postnatal development. Discovering the alteration of the relationship between PSD-95 and NMDAR subunits expression may be helpful for understanding mechanisms and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.     

The substance P innervation of the rat hippocampal region

Summary The distribution of substance P (SP) immunoreactive nerve cell bodies and preterminal processes was studied in the rat brain by using several anti-SP-antibodies in combination with immunohistochemical techniques. In normal rats and in rats pretreated with colchicine, SP immunoreactive preterminal processes were found in the hippocampal region, but SP positive cellbodies could be detected only after colchicine pretreatment. Medium-sized to large, multipolar cells immunoreactive for SP were found in stratum oriens of the hippocampal subfield CA3 and in the hilus of the area dentata. Medium-sized to small, round or fusiform cells were detected in the pyramidal layer of the ventral subiculum and in layers III–VI of the ventral entorhinal area. The SP stained preterminal processes were of two types. Numerous fine, varicose axons were stained in different parts of Ammon's horn, while in the retrohippocampal structures, the SP immunoreactivity was present in small distinctly stained puncta. These frequently formed pericellular arrangements around unstained cells, indicative of axosomatic contacts between SP terminals and cells in the hipocampus. In Ammon's horn, the densest SP innervation was found in strata oriens, radiatum and moleculare of subfields CA3a and CA2. Scattered fibers were also present in the stratum oriens of CA3a-c and in the hilus, in particular at ventral levels. In retrohippocampal structures, the SP innervation predominated in the deep pyramidal layer of the subiculum, the second layer of the presubiculum and in layers VI and IV of the medial and lateral entorhinal area. Many of these terminals may arise from local interneurons as well as from sources outside the hippocampal region.Taken together, these studies demonstrate a far more extensive innervation by SP, or a closely related peptide, of the rat hippocampal region than was previously recognized. This suggests that SP may play an important role in neurotransmission within the hippocampal region.Stephen Davies was supported by Travel grants from the Wellcome Trust and the Gurantors of Brain.     

Sex-specific effects of corticosterone on hippocampally mediated learning in young rats

Glucocorticoids administered during development can have lasting consequences on learning performance and brain development. Whereas most studies administer glucocorticoids to the young rat during the so-called stress-hyporesponsiveness period (SHRP), we examined the effects of corticosterone pellets implanted at the conclusion of the SHRP on two forms of eye blink conditioning (EBC). Analysis of blood samples indicated that pellets implanted on Day 15 released the bulk of the corticosterone before Day 21. In tests of EBC beginning on Day 28, corticosterone-treated males, but not females, showed impaired performance in the hippocampally mediated "trace" version of the EBC paradigm. There were no effects of corticosterone on the "delay" version of the task. These results are consistent with earlier findings that the hippocampus is particularly sensitive to elevated glucocorticoid levels. Moreover, the findings suggest that glucocorticoids administered after the SHRP may produce subtle effects on learning performance akin to those that have been reported in children.     

大鼠海马γ-氨基丁酸-A受体在生后发育中的表达

目的:研究大鼠生后发育过程中海马组织γ-氨基丁酸-A(GABA-A)受体的表达规律。方法:用免疫组织化学和PCR技术,检测不同年龄大鼠海马组织GABA-A受体及编码该受体的mRNA表达,并用图像分析方法进行定量研究。结果:大鼠海马组织在生后3 d已经出现GABA-A受体免疫反应,以后逐渐增强,到生后30 d达到最高值,海马各区GABA-A受体免疫反应强度没有显著的差别;编码GABA-A受体的mRNA表达也有类似的增龄性增多,但其表达高峰值提前到14 d。结论:生后大鼠海马GABA-A受体表达在一定时期内呈增龄性表达增强的趋势。     

Changes in dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase expression and activity during postnatal development and aging in the rat brain

Brain energy metabolism is increased during postnatal development and diminished in neurodegenerative diseases linked to senescence. The objective of this study was to determine if these conditions could involve postnatal or senescence-related shifts in activity or expression of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH), a key mitochondrial oxidoreductase. Rats ranging from 10 to 60 days of age were used in studies of postnatal development, whereas rats aged 5 or 30 months were used in the aging studies. The expression of DLDH was determined by Western blot analysis using anti-DLDH antibodies and DLDH diaphorase activity was measured by an in-gel activity staining method using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT)/NADH. Activity of DLDH dehydrogenase was measured as NAD⁺ oxidation of dihydrolipoamide. When these measures were considered in separate groups of 10-, 20-, 30-, or 60-day-old rats, all three showed an increase between 10 and 20 days of age. However, dehydrogenase activity of DLDH showed a further, progressive increase from 20 days to adulthood, in the absence of any further change in DLDH expression or diaphorase activity. No age-related decline in DLDH activity or expression was evident over the period from 5 to 30 months of age. Moreover, aging did not render DLDH more susceptible to oxidative inactivation by mitochondria-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Taken together, results of the present study indicate that (1) brain DLDH expression and activity undergo independent postnatal maturational increases; (2) senescence does not confer any detectable change in the activity of DLDH or its susceptibility to inactivation by mitochondrial oxidative stress.     

Postnatal development of the light and electron microscopic features of basket cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the rat

Summary Light and electron microscopic preparations were used to analyze the postnatal development of the basket cells of the rat dentate gyrus. The basket cells, located at the hilar border, were recognized in 2-day-old rats in Golgi preparations, where they displayed immature dendrites and a small axon arbor in the granule cell layer. At 5 days, the basket cells were found to have a large perikaryal cytoplasm, a round nucleus, an axon that forms symmetric synapses with granule cells, and dendrites and somata that are contacted by other axon terminals. The 10-day basket cells display more mature features, such as Nissl bodies and well-developed Golgi complexes. The basket cells from 16-day-old rats are mature in terms of their ultrastructural features, in that the nuclei are highly indented and display intranuclear rods or sheets, the perikaryal cytoplasm is packed with organelles, and the axon has developed an extensive arborization with the somata and dendrites of granule cells at the border with the molecular layer. This arborization will continue to expand as more granule cells are generated and added to the hilar border. These data correlate well with the immunocytochemical and biochemical development of GABAergic neurons in the dentate gyrus. Furthermore, the maturation of the structure of basket cells appears to precede the appearance of adult-like electrical activity in the hippocampus.     

糖皮质激素对脑内炎症反应的促进作用

过去的研究认为糖皮质激素(glucocorticoids,GC)具有免疫抑制和抗炎的作用,能抑制淋巴细胞的增殖和树突状细胞的成熟,促进嗜碱粒细胞、嗜酸粒细胞和T细胞的凋亡等,故在临床上作为抗炎药和免疫抑制剂广为使用.     

Expression of glucocorticoid receptor in the brain of rats during postnatal ontogeny

Expression of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of male and female rats during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd weeks of life was studied by Western blot hybridization. In the frontal cortex, the concentration of receptor protein progressively increased from the 1st to the 3rd week of life; in females, expression of 94-kDa protein significantly surpassed that in males during the 1st week of life. In the hippocampus, expression of 94-kDa and 82-kDa proteins during the 1st week of life was higher in males. Moreover, expression of the major glucocorticoid receptor isoform (94 kDa) in this structure remained unchanged in all periods of the study in males, whereas in females it was low over the first 2 weeks of life and increased by the 3rd week. Variations in the expression of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus of male and female rats coincide with changes in plasma corticosterone concentration during the early postnatal ontogeny. Translated from Byulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 146, No. 8, pp. 139–143, August, 2008     

Development and structure of the radial glia in the postnatal rat brain

Summary Postnatal development of radial glial cells was examined in albino rats. Until the 10th postnatal day radial glial cells were seen in the lateral ventricles, in the third ventricle (throughout its whole extent), in the aqueduct and in the fourth ventricle. The morphological appearance of radial glial cells was very variable in the different regions.After the 10th day radial glial cells (tanycytes) were seen only in the wall of the third ventricle. According to their appearance it was possible to undertake a morphological grouping. Considerable changes of the morphology of individual tanycytes could be observed in the median eminence and in the ventral hypothalamus between the 5th and 21st days.It was found that the peripheral processes of tanycytes ended near the nerve cells or on the cell body, on capillaries of the hypothalamic nuclei or on the pial surface. In a number of cases one tanycyte process contacted both the blood vessels of the hypothalamus and the pial surface.In view of their morphology the tanycytes can be assumed to transport material between different extracellular spaces, and/or to excrete material.The radial glial cells of the lateral ventricles can serve as guides for the postnatally formed microneurons and later can either transform to astroglia or degenerate.Part of this work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Anatomical Society in Tokyo, 1979     

The postnatal development of rat dentate gyrus and the effect of early thyroid hormone treatment

Summary The postnatal development of the dentate gyrus and the effect of 5 g/day triiodothyronine treatment was examined by means of tritiated thymidine autoradiography.The polymorph layer of the dentate gyrus is a secondary germinal layer and forms cells for the granular layer. The cell formation in the dentate gyrus was found to be nearly completed on the 21st day, but development ended only in adulthood.Thyroid-hormone treatment did not affect significantly the postnatal cell formation of the dentate gyrus, but resulted in the appearance of a great number of pycnotic cells in the granular layer.     

Expression pattern of Anosmin-1 during pre- and postnatal rat brain development

Anosmin-1 participates in the development of the olfactory and GnRH systems. Defects in this protein are responsible for both the anosmia and the hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism found in Kallmann's syndrome patients. Sporadically, these patients also manifest some neurological symptoms that are not explained in terms of the developmental defects in the olfactory system. We describe the pattern of Anosmin-1 expression in the central nervous system during rat development using a novel antibody raised against Anosmin-1 (Anos1). The areas with Anos1-stained neurons and glial cells were classified into three groups: (1) areas with immunoreactivity from embryonic day 16 to postnatal day (P) 15; (2) areas with Anosmin-1 expression only at postnatal development; (3) nuclei with immunoreactivity only at P15. Our data show that Anos1 immunoreactivity is detected in projecting neurons and interneurons within areas of the brain that may be affected in patients with Kallmann's syndrome that develop both the principal as well as sporadic symptoms.     

神经源性分化因子在新生大鼠短暂脑缺氧中的表达

目的 观察新生大鼠短暂性缺氧后脑神经源性分化因子(NeuroD)表达的变化.方法 新生10～24h的SD大鼠短暂置于100%氮气环境中,建立缺氧窒息模型.33只新生大鼠随机分为对照组、缺氧10min组、缺氧20min组,采用免疫荧光法和Western blotting检测NeuroD表达的变化.结果 在大脑皮质区和海马齿状回可见NeuroD免疫荧光染色阳性细胞;Western blotting分析显示,随缺氧时间的延长,NeuroD的表达量明显增加,缺氧10min组与对照组、缺氧20min组与缺氧10min组比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01).结论 短暂缺氧可引起NeuroD表达量的增加,表达部位主要在大脑皮质、海马等神经干细胞/神经前体细胞聚集区.     

脑发育不同阶段慢性铅暴露对大鼠在体海马不同时间一氧化氮含量及合酶活性的影响

目的：比较脑发育不同阶段低浓度慢性铅暴露对大鼠在体海马一氧化氮含量及合酶活性的差异。方法：分别在仔鼠出生21天、42天、63天时测定对照组、断乳后暴露组、母体暴露组和持续暴露组仔鼠血铅含量和海马NO含量和NOS活性,并与对照组进行比较。结果：各暴露组在不同时间血铅含量均高于对照组（P〈0.05）。断乳后铅暴露组和持续铅暴露组NOS活性与对照组相比均有显著性差异（P〈0.05）,出生21天时明显高于对照组,而42天和63天明显低于对照组。持续暴露组NO含量与对照组相比有明显差异,出生21天时明显高于对照组,而42天和63天明显低于对照组。结论：脑发育任一阶段的慢性铅暴露均对海马NO含量和NOS活性有影响。与发育成熟海马相比,未成熟期海马对铅的神经毒性更为敏感,突触可塑性更易受损。     

Quantitative cellular changes during postnatal development of the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

Summary Quantitative changes in cell number during development of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus were determined using semithin serial sections of tissue obtained from 28 rats on postnatal day 0, 5, 8, 10, 20, 30, 90 or 165. Our results show three phases of postnatal development in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus: phase 1 from birth until eye opening, which occurs around the 12th day in these litters; phase 2 from eye opening through stabilization of neuron number on the 30th postnatal day, and phase 3 from that event until adulthood. During the first period increases in neuron number and in glial cell number are found accompanying a nearly seven-fold increase in dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus volume. Phase 2 includes a high incidence of neuronal cell death and a continuous increase in the number of glial cells. The third phase is characterized by a stabilization in the number of neurons, although the glial cell number continues to increase. Neuronal density decreases exponentially throughout the postnatal life of the rat, while the density of glial cells remains relatively stable over the period of study. The postnatal phenomenon of an initial increase in neuron number followed by a period of neuron death may be related to modulating and plastic functions which occur in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus before a stable neuronal population is achieved on the 30th postnatal day.     

出生前后胆碱乙酰转移酶在大鼠脑内定位的研究

为探讨大鼠胚胎及生后发育期间脑内胆碱乙酰转移酶(choline acetyltransferase,ChAT)的变化规律,本研究采用免疫组织化学方法,观察了胚胎和生后大鼠脑内ChAT样(ChAT-like immunoreactive,ChAT-LI)神经元表达的数量和灰度值。结果显示:ChAT-LI产物主要表达在细胞体、纤维及其末梢。ChAT-LI神经元最先在胚胎第12d(embryonic day12,E12),出现于端脑;E14时可见于隔核和中缝核;E16时内嗅区出现ChAT-LI神经元;E18时出现于视前区节细胞层;E20时,海马内部可见部分ChAT-LI纤维;生后第0d(postnatal day0,P0),少量带有生长锥的ChAT-LI纤维出现于海马;P5时,海马内出现ChAT-LI神经元,且ChAT-LI纤维进一步增加;P10时,海马、内嗅区和穹隆等结构中都可见ChAT-LI神经元胞体及纤维。上述结果提示:胆碱能神经元在出生前后的大鼠脑内,尤其是在海马记忆回路的发育过程中存在一定的变化规律,它们可能是学习记忆等功能的结构基础。     

Expression pattern of galectin-1 and galectin-3 in rat testes and epididymis during postnatal development

Galectins are a family of lectins-binding beta-galactosides involved in a variety of extracellular and intracellular processes, thereby contributing to homeostasis, cell adhesion, cellular turnover, and immunity. This study aimed to determine the localization and expression of galectin-1 (Gal-1) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) in the testis and epididymis of rats at postnatal [(prepubertal (day 5), pubertal (day 20), postpubertal (day 50) and mature (day 70)] periods by using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Gal-1 and Gal-3 were differentially expressed in different types of cells in the testis and epididymis during postnatal development. While we detected Gal-1 expression in some spermatogenic cells and Leydig cells in the testis, not in the epididymal epithelium, Gal-3 was expressed in Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, Leydig cells, smooth muscles and interstitial CD68-positive macrophages. Epithelial cells of the corpus and cauda epididymis showed an intense Gal-3 expression. Gal-1 expression was higher in the testis than in the epididymis on days 50 and 70. The expression of Gal-3 in the testis increased from the prepubertal to mature period. While the expression difference of Gal-3 was not statistically significant in the testis and epididymis until puberty, Gal-3 expression in the postpubertal and mature periods was higher in the epididymis. The expression of Gal-3 in the corpus and cauda epididymis was higher than that in the caput epididymis. In conclusion, our findings suggest that puberty has potential regulatory effect on the expression of galectins in testis and epididymis of rats. Gal-1 and 3 may play a role in the development of the reproductive system and the preservation of the immune-privileged environment in the testis, due to their pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic functions. The presence of intense expression of Gal-3 in the corpus and cauda epididymis may contribute to the maturation and storage of spermatozoa.     

Synapsin I expression in the rat retina during postnatal development

Summary The expression of the synapsin I gene was studied during postnatal development of the rat retina at the mRNA and protein levels. In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that synapsin I mRNA was expressed already in nerve cells in the ganglion cell layer of the neonatal retina, while it appeared in neurons of the inner nuclear layer from postnatal day 4 onward. Maximal expression of synapsin I mRNA was observed at P12 in ganglion cells and in neurons of the inner nuclear layer followed by moderate expression in the adult. At the protein level a shift of synapsin I appearance was observed from cytoplasmic to terminal localization during retinal development by immunohistochemistry. In early stages (P4 and P8), synapsin I was seen in neurons of the ganglion cell layer and in neurons of the developing inner nuclear layer as well as in the developing inner plexiform layer. In the developing outer plexiform layer synapsin I was localized only in horizontal cells and in their processes. Its early appearance at P4 indicated the early maturation of this cell type. A shift and strong increase of labelling to the plexiform layers at P12 indicated the localization of synapsin I in synaptic terminals. The inner plexiform layer exhibited a characteristic stratified pattern. Photoreceptor cells never exhibited synapsin I mRNA or synapsin I protein throughout development.Abbreviations GCL ganglion cell layer - INB inner neuroblast layer - INL inner nuclear layer - IPL inner plexiform layer - ONB outer neuroblast layer - ONL outer nuclear layer - OPL outer plexiform layer     

Septal neurons containing glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactivity project to the hippocampal region in the rat brain

Summary Injections of the fluorescent dyes Fast Blue or Granular Blue into either the hippocampus (volume approximately 50 nl) or the entorhinal area (100–150 nl) resulted in labeling by retrograde axonal transport of cells in the diagonal band of Broca (dbB) and the medial septum (MS). A large number (approximately 30%) of these cells contained glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-like immunoreactivity, as determined by combined retrograde fluorescent tracing and GAD-immunohistochemistry. Not all GAD positive cells in the dbB and MS were labeled by fluorochromes in a single experiment. The GAD-stained and fluorochrome-containing cells were present at all rostro-caudal levels of the septum and appeared not to belong to any single morphological class of cells. Double staining experiments showed that the GAD-positive cells did not contain acetylcholinesterase reaction product. These findings provide evidence that a significant portion of the septohippocampal projection may utilize gamma-aminobutyric acid as a neurotransmitter.This investigation was supported in part by USPHS grants NS 14740, NS 65392, NS 68462, and NS 67752; and AFOSR grant 82-0328     

Aging increases basal but not stress-induced levels of corticosterone in the brain of the awake rat

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging on plasma and free corticosterone (CORT) levels in the brain in basal conditions and in response to an acute stressor. Microdialysis experiments were performed in the hippocampus (HC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of young adult (6 months) and aged (24 months) male Wistar rats. Basal free levels of CORT in the HC and the PFC were higher in aged animals. Restraint stress increased plasma CORT and free CORT levels in the HC and the PFC both in young and aged animals. However, while the increase of plasma CORT was higher in aged rats compared with young rats, the increases of free CORT in the HC and the PFC were not different between these two groups of rats. These results suggest that the changes produced by aging in the brain may be related to the enhanced basal levels of free CORT and not to the CORT increases in response to stress.     

Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the rat forebrain and upper brain stem during postnatal development: an immunohistochemical study

The present study was undertaken to characterize the regional and temporal patterns of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the rat forebrain and upper brain stem during postnatal development using an immunohistochemical approach. Results indicated that BDNF-immunoreactive (IR) cells could be divided into three groups based on their postnatal developmental patterns: (group 1) BDNF-IR cells were first detected between postnatal days (PND) 1 and 7, and thereafter they increased in number and remained stable during later stages of ontogeny; (group 2) BDNF-IR cells progressively increased in number with age, and then decreased in adults; (group 3) numerous BDNF-IR cells detected between PND 1 and 7 showed a dramatic reductions in number with few IR cells in adults. In contrast, the developmental pattern of most BDNF-IR fibers differed from that of IR neurons, i.e. they appeared between PND 1-28 and thereafter continued to increase in number showing a maximum level in adults. Additionally, BDNF-IR cells in the superficial layer of the neocortex and IR fibers in the stratum oriens of CA2 first appeared as late as PND 28 and in adults, respectively. After colchicine treatment, reexpression or a marked increase in the number of BDNF-IR neurons was observed in many areas of the adult brain where a progressive decrease in BDNF-IR cell numbers during development and scant or some IR neurons in adults were shown. These results showed both transient and persistent expression of BDNF in various regions of the developing rat brain.