Perinatal methylazoxymethanol acetate uncouples coincidence of orientation of cerebellar folia and parallel fibers

Perinatal administration of methylazoxymethanol acetate in the rat, as a one time injection on gestational day 21, postnatal days 0, 1 or 2, altered the parallel orientation of cerebellar folia. The effect persisted into adulthood. In animals injected on one of the postnatal days 3, 4 or 5, the folial pattern was not altered. Even when the injection was repeated for three days on postnatal days 3, 4 and 5, changes in the cerebellar surface were not found. However, in animals receiving a low protein diet during the last five days of gestation, the three injection regimen produced a distortion of the folial pattern. The surface of cerebella of animals injected on gestational day 21 through postnatal day 2 was covered with small blebs resembling the surface of a cauliflower head. In sagittal sections, islands of cortical laminae appeared to be isolated from the arbor vitae. However, serial reconstruction of the granular layer from sections revealed that these pieces were continuous with the arbor vitae. Surprisingly, cerebella having malaligned folia also had varying degrees of Purkinje cell somas distributed throughout the granule cell layer rather than in a single layer. This occurred even when the granule cell layer approached normal thickness. Analysis of cerebellar weight from the group injected on the day of birth revealed three levels of weight reduction: severe (greater than 40%), moderate (20-40%) and mild (less than 20%). The granule cell deficit was directly related to the weight reduction of the cerebella. In the severely-affected cerebella, areas of the cortex were virtually devoid of granule cells. The moderately-affected cerebella had a continuous granular layer which was thick and thin. In the mild type, the layer was relatively normal in thickness but, nevertheless, the cerebellar surface was highly distorted. In all animals treated with methylazoxymethanol acetate on days G21 through P5, parallel fibers were disoriented. This occurred even though the folia appeared normal in the G20, P3, P4, P5 and P3-5 injected groups. Bundles of parallel fibers crisscrossed in the plane of the cerebellar surface in all areas where a molecular layer was found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Displaced granule cells in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex in mice treated with methylazoxymethanol

To study the effect of a reduced granule cell number on the development of the cerebellum, mice were administered with methylazoxymethanol (MAM) at birth and examined histologically at 21 days of age. In these mice, green fluorescent protein had been knocked in within the glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 gene, resulting in fluorescent GABAergic neurons. In severe cases, granule cells were greatly reduced in number and mixed with Purkinje cells instead of forming layers. In about 10% of the MAM-treated mice, an ectopic cell layer consisting of granule cells was observed within the molecular layer. Concomitantly, basket cells disappeared. The transient interruption of granule cell production in the external granular layer presumably resulted in their incomplete migration through the molecular layer.     

Repair of the external granular layer after postnatal treatment with 5-fluorodeoxyuridine

Repair of the external granular layer, damaged by prenatal treatment with methylazoxymethanol, has in previous experiments been shown to be successful; by postnatal day 20 little difference in cerebellar architecture could be detected between treated and control animals. In the present experiments repair of the external granular layer was studied after postnatal treatment with 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR), a drug known to interfere with DNA synthesis. Two-day-old mice were injected with various doses of this compound and sacrificed at successive time intervals after treatment. A striking difference in response to the treatment was noted between the anterior, intermediate and posterior lobes of the cerebellum. In the anterior lobes 5-FUdR caused almost complete destruction of the external granular layer and few if any surviving cells were noted. During subsequent days repair of the layer was minimal and a grossly abnormal cytoarchitecture resulted. The Purkinje cells were dispersed throughout the molecular layer and the (internal) granular layer contained only a few cells. In the posterior lobes (particularly in the uvula) 5-FUdR destroyed many external granular cells but the surviving cells reconstituted a new layer and the normal architecture was temporarily reestablished. Many cells of this new layer migrated centrally to become neurons, but others stopped in their migration halfway through the molecular zone, forming a heterotopic granule cell layer. In the intermediate lobes a thin molecular layer was present, but the Purkinje cells were widely dispersed and separated from each other by light and dark nucleated cells. It is thus concluded that repair of the external granular layer after postnatal damage is minimal in the anterior lobes and most advanced in the posterior lobes; in the intermediate lobes repair was seen but the cytoarchitecture was abnormal.     

Developmental analysis of GFAP immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of the meander tail mutant mouse

It is thought that Bergmann glial fibers assist in the inward migration of granule cells. Model systems in which there is a perturbation of either the migrating cells or the glial cell population have been useful in understanding the migratory process. In the meander tail mutant mouse, the anterior cerebellar region is agranular, whereas the posterior cerebellum is relatively unaffected by the mutation. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the development of cerebellar radial glia in mea/mea and +/mea mice aged from postnatal day 0 to adult, using an antibody against the glia specific antigen, glial fibrillary acidic protein. The results indicate a slight delay in the onset of immunoreactivity in the mea/mea cerebellum and abnormal glial formation in the anterior and posterior regions by postnatal day 5. At postnatal day 11, the full complement of labeled fibers appears to be present and although they appear abnormal in formation, they eventually reach the surface and terminate in oddly shaped and irregularly spaced endfeet. In adult mea/mea and +/mea mice, as compared to the early postnatal stages, there is a significant reduction in GFAP immunoreactive fibers. Cresyl violet stained adult mea/mea sections revealed the presence of ectopic granule cells in radial columns and small clumps at the surface of and within the molecular layer of the caudal cerebellum. Quantitative analyses revealed a 4- to 5-fold increase in the number of ectopic granule cells in lobule VIII of the mea/mea when compared with the +/mea cerebellum. These results suggest that the radial glia in the mea/mea cerebellum exhibit some uncharacteristic morphologies, but that these abnormalities are most likely the consequence of environmental alterations produced by the mutant gene.     

Developmental analysis of GFAP immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of the meander tail mutant mouse

It is thought that Bergmann glial fibers assist in the inward migration of granule cells. Model systems in which there is a perturbation of either the migrating cells or the glial cell population have been useful in understanding the migratory process. In the meander tail mutant mouse, the anterior cerebellar region is agranular, whereas the posterior cerebellum is relatively unaffected by the mutation. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the development of cerebellar radial glia in mea/mea and +/mea mice aged from postnatal day 0 to adult, using an antibody against the glia specific antigen, glial fibrillary acidic protein. The results indicate a slight delay in the onset of immunoreactivity in the mea/mea cerebellum and abnormal glial formation in the anterior and posterior regions by postnatal day 5. At postnatal day 11, the full complement of labeled fibers appears to be present and although they appear abnormal in formation, they eventually reach the surface and terminate in oddly shaped and irregularly spaced endfeet. In adult mea/mea and +/mea mice, as compared to the early postnatal stages, there is a significant reduction in GFAP immunoreactive fibers. Cresyl violet stained adult mea/mea sections revealed the presence of ectopic granule cells in radial columns and small clumps at the surface of and within the molecular layer of the caudal cerebellum. Quantitative analyses revealed a 4- to 5-fold increase in the number of ectopic granule cells in lobule VIII of the mea/mea when compared with the +/mea cerebellum. These results suggest that the radial glia in the mea/mea cerebellum exhibit some uncharacteristic morphologies, but that these abnormalities are most likely the consequence of environmental alterations produced by the mutant gene.     

Early X-irradiation of rats--II. Effect on granule cells and their dendrodendritic synapses in the olfactory bulb

Low, repeated doses of X-rays from a Co60 source were used to impair the development of the granule cells and their dendritic terminals in the olfactory bulb, and the resulting effect was studied under light and electron microscopes at 9 days of age. Irradiation of rats from embryonic day 18 (in utero) to postnatal day 5 resulted, among others, in maldevelopment of the (internal) granule cell and external plexiform layers. This was accompanied by a decrease in the number and the density of the granule cells, and the remaining granule cells contained less ribosomes, regardless of their position within the layer. This implies that both supposed subtypes of granule cells were effected. In the external plexiform layer, a reduced number of mature dendrodendritic synapses and signs of harmed granule gemmules were observed. The results suggest that intrauterinal plus postnatal irradiation with low, repeated doses of X-rays may be an effective tool impairing the development of prenatally forming neurons.     

Synapse-independent and synapse-dependent apoptosis of cerebellar granule cells in postnatal rabbits occur at two subsequent but partly overlapping developmental stages

It has long been known that cells in the external granular layer die during postnatal development of the cerebellum. More recent findings indicate that at certain developmental stages, cell death occurs upon activation of an apoptotic program. We show that cerebellar granule cells in rabbits undergo programmed cell death at two different stages of maturation. At postnatal day 5 (P5), granule cell precursors and pre-migratory granule cells in the external granular layer incorporate the S-phase markers 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine with a pattern that is dependent upon the interval between the administration of the two tracers. Within 12-24 h after proliferation a significant number of labeled cells show typical ultrastructural alterations of apoptosis. DNA electrophoresis and cleavage of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase confirm the activation of the apoptotic machinery. After Southern blotting and immunodetection, incorporated 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine is present at the level of low size DNA oligomers as soon as 12 h after cell division. Therefore, this apoptotic phase is intrinsic to external granular layer neurons and independent of synaptic interactions with targets.Apoptotic cells, although fewer in number, are detected also in the internal granular layer and tend to increase from P5 to P10. It seems unlikely that these cells undergo DNA fragmentation in the external granular layer and subsequently migrate to their final destination, considering the data on cell cycle kinetics and the rapid tissue clearance by the glia. Parallel fiber-Purkinje spine synapses are already present in the molecular layer at P5. Therefore, the post-migratory granule cells likely undergo apoptosis as a failure to make proper synaptic contacts in the forming molecular layer.We conclude that the massive apoptosis of pre-migratory cells likely has a role in regulating the size of this rapidly expanding population of pre-mitotic neurons. The less tumultuous cell death of post-mitotic granule cells in the internal granular layer appears to be linked to the formation of the mature synaptic circuitry of the developing cerebellar cortex.     

Histochemical characterization of lectin binding in mouse cerebellum

Eight fluorescein-isothiocyanate-conjugated lectins differing from each other in carbohydrate binding specificities have been used to reveal qualitative differences in carbohydrate composition among the various cell types of the early postnatal and adult cerebellar cortex, cerebellar deep nuclei and medulla. By treating unfixed frozen tissue sections with unconjugated lectin in the presence of excess hapten sugar and subsequently staining with fluorescein-isothiocyanate-conjugated lectin in the presence of bovine serum albumin, carbohydrate specific staining was observed for all of the lectins studied. Lectin binding was selectively inhibited by appropriate hapten sugars. For several lectins (wheat germ agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinins and Lens culinaris agglutinins) complex carbohydrates were required for inhibition of staining.In the adult cerebellum, concanavalin A intensely stained the soma of granule cells, synaptic glomeruli and the cytoplasm of Purkinje cells, while the molecular layer and white matter were relatively unstained. Wheat germ agglutinin heavily labeled the soma of granule cells, synaptic glomeruli, parallel fibers of the molecular layer, and the nuclear membrane of Purkinje cells, and weakly labeled the white matter. Ricinus communis agglutins (m.w. 60,000 and 120,000) intensely stained the soma of granule cells, synaptic glomeruli, parallel fibers in the molecular layer, the cytoplasm of Purkinje cells, and the white matter. None of the above lectins stained Purkinje cell dendrites. Lens culinaris lectins A and B stained the soma of granule cells, synaptic glomeruli, the cytoplasm of Purkinje cells, Purkinje cell dendrites, and white matter.In the 5- and 12-day-old postnatal cerebellum, concanavalin A stained the molecular layer more strongly than in the adult. Concanavalin A, wheat germ agglutinin and Lens culinaris lectins moderately stained cell cytoplasm in the external and internal granule layers, but the external granule cell layer was heavily labeled with both Ricinus communis lectins. With the soybean agglutinin, weak staining of the molecular layer and synaptic glomeruli was detected in young cerebellum, in contrast to adult tissue where no staining was observed. No labeling of the young or adult cerebellum was observed with Ulex europaeus agglutinin I.The specific patterns of staining with different lectins probably reflect the different carbohydrate compositions of the various cell types and perhaps of the intercellular matrix.     

Developmental plasticity of rat cerebellar cortex after cisplatin injury: inhibitory synapses and differentiating Purkinje neurons

A single injection of cisplatin, a cytostatic agent, (5 microg/g body weight) in 10-day old rats leads later to the reorganization of the cerebellar cortex in lobules VI-VIII of the vermis. Double immunofluorescence reaction for glutamate receptor (GluR)2/3, a ionotropic glutamate receptor that labels postsynaptically Purkinje neurons, and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)65, an isoform of the GABA synthesis enzyme that labels presynaptically inhibitory terminals in the molecular layer, were employed. Less-differentiated Purkinje cells were present in rats treated on postnatal day (PD)11 at the top of lobule VI and in lobules VII-VIII, in comparison with the deep zones of the same lobules and lobule III. The changes were interpreted as due to loss of trophic factors of Purkinje cell growth, e.g. signaling molecules and granule cells. However, we have shown that a remodelling of Purkinje cell dendrites occurred on PD30 (20 days after cisplatin). In fact, despite of the GluR2/3 labeling of the entire Purkinje cell dendrites, the GAD65 immunofluorescent terminals were adjacent to the proximal parts of the dendrite, while they were scarce in the distal dendritic branchlets. The findings were discussed in relation to the changed cytoarchitecture of the cerebellar cortex, which from PD17 to PD30 includes regeneration of the external germinal layer, reorientation of the main dendritic branches and of the Purkinje cell branchlets, and the presence of ectopic cells.     

Abnormalities in premigratory granule cells in the weaver cerebellum defined by monoclonal antibody OZ42

Summary The immunoreactivity in OZ42, a neural cell specific antibody that recognizes premigratory cerebellar granule cells, was examined in early postnatal wild-type and weaver mouse cerebella. We find that the OZ42-positive staining in the external granular layer (EGL) is first seen at postnatal day 1 in the most posterior and ventral aspect of midline cerebellum in the wild-type and heterozygous weaver mouse. By postnatal day 4 strong immunoreactivity is observed in the EGL of all cerebellar lobules. This staining is localized to a band of immunoreactive cells present at the interface of the EGL and the molecular layer (ML). In the homozygous weaver cerebellum, OZ42-positive staining is not seen until post-natal day 3. In the postnatal day 4 weaver cerebellum, immunoreactivity is considerably ligther than in littermate control cerebella, and found throughout the width of the EGL (i.e., not localized to the EGL-ML interface).This study demonstrates that the expression of a specific marker of granule cell development is abnormal in the granule cell population of the homozygous weaver mouse, a population of cells known to be intrinsically affected by the action of this mutant gene. In the light of previous studies, which have shown that the weaver phenotype is identifiable as early as the day of birth, and that the OZ42-antigen may be involved with the development process of axonal growth, it is reasonable to suggest that the weaver mutation results in an abnormality in the ability of granule cells to produce and/or stabilize axons.     

Interactions between astroglia and ectopic granule cells in the cerebellar cortex of normal adult rats: a morphological and cytochemical study

Summary The cytology and organization of astroglial cells associated with ectopic granule cells (EGCs) have been studied in the cerebellar cortex of normal adult rats, using Golgi preparations, immunohistochemistry against the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ultrastructural analysis. Elongated perikarya of EGCs scattered in the molecular layer were usually attached to radial Bergmann fibers, which exhibited a normal morphology. A second configuration of EGCs consisted of intrafissural colonies of ectopic neurons. The molecular layer that surrounded these ectopic colonies showed disorientation of both Bergmann fibers and parallel fibers. Within the ectopic tissue, typical velate astrocytes were commonly observed. They formed homologous associations with EGC perikarya and cerebellar glomeruli. However, a restricted astroglial plasticity was detected in the form of heterologous interactions between astrocytes and Purkinje cell dendrites, including their associated synapses with parallel fibers. In spite of this astroglial plasticity, our results suggest that in the physiological systems of granule cell ectopia studied here, the different specific interactions of Bergmann glia and astrocytes with neurons tend to be conserved.     

Perforant path activation of ectopic granule cells that are born after pilocarpine-induced seizures

Granule cells in the dentate gyrus are born throughout life, and various stimuli can affect their development in the adult brain. Following seizures, for instance, neurogenesis increases greatly, and some new cells migrate to abnormal (ectopic) locations, such as the hilus. Previous electrophysiological studies of this population have shown that they have intrinsic properties that are similar to normal granule cells, but differ in other characteristics, consistent with abnormal integration into host circuitry. To characterize the response of ectopic hilar granule cells to perforant path stimulation, intracellular recordings were made in hippocampal slices from rats that had pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus and subsequent spontaneous recurrent seizures. Comparisons were made with granule cells located in the granule cell layer of both pilocarpine- and saline-treated animals. In addition, a few ectopic hilar granule cells were sampled from saline-treated rats. Remarkably, hilar granule cells displayed robust responses, even when their dendrites were not present within the molecular layer, where perforant path axons normally terminate. The evoked responses of hilar granule cells were similar in several ways to those of normally positioned granule cells, but there were some differences. For example, there was an unusually long latency to onset of responses evoked in many hilar granule cells, especially those without molecular layer dendrites. Presumably this is due to polysynaptic activation by the perforant path. These results indicate that synaptic reorganization after seizures can lead to robust activation of newly born hilar granule cells by the perforant path, even when their dendrites are not in the terminal field of the perforant path. Additionally, the fact that these cells can be found in normal tissue and develop similar synaptic responses, suggests that seizures, while not necessary for their formation, strongly promote their generation and the development of associated circuits, potentially contributing to a lowered seizure threshold.     

Transiently expressed, neural-specific molecule associated with premigratory granule cells in postnatal mouse cerebellum

Summary A rat monoclonal antibody (OZ42), raised against immature mouse granule cells, recognizes a region of the external granular layer of postnatally developing cerebellar cortex. This region, about three cells thick, is adjacent to the developing molecular layer and contains postmitotic, premigratory granule cells. The OZ42 reactivity commenced near postnatal day 3 (P3), the deep external granular layer was strongly reactive by P10 and this level was maintained while granule cells remained in the external granular layer (approximately P15). Isolated immature granule cells in cytospin preparations specifically reacted with OZ42. Reactivity was extranuclear and was substantially reduced when cells were prepared by trypsinization, suggesting that at least some of the antigen is associated with the outer surface of the plasma membrane. Other postnatal reactivity to OZ42 (P0 to P3) was found in a band of cells in the deep cortical layers overlying the corpus callosum through the entorhinal cortex, terminating adjacent to the hippocampus. Reactivity in some regions of the corpus callosum and anterior commissure was seen from P0 to P5. No reactivity of non-neural tissues was observed at any stage. In the embryo there was extensive staining of the CNS and PNS at E10 and E14, which was largely gone by E16. Weaver mutant mice examined for reactivity to OZ42 showed that the granule cell death and cerebellar disorganization in P10 homozygous mutants was associated with a substantial decrease in OZ42 reactivity in the external granular layer. At P14 and P20, OZ42 reactivity in the weaver external granular layer was restricted to single cells, rather than an entire layer of cells, further indicating that the OZ42 antigen is present on granule cells rather than the substratum. By Western analysis of non-reducing SDS-PAGE gels, OZ42 recognized a single band with the molecular weight between 120 and 145 kD in P10, but not adult cerebellum of BALB/c mice. An OZ42-specific band at 60–70 kD was also seen under reducing conditions and occasionally in non-reducing conditions. These bands were not recognized by antibodies against NCAM, L1 and AMOG. Immunoprecipitation and cross-blocking with antiserum to TAG-1 suggested that OZ42 recognized the same molecule in the mouse cerebellum that has been described in embryonic rat and mouse spinal cord. The developmentally regulated expression of the neural-specific molecule recognized by OZ42 in the postnatal cerebellum suggests it may be involved with the early stages of granule cell axon elongation.     

Proliferation and migration of granule cells in the developing rat cerebellum: cisplatin effects

We evaluated the relationship among proliferation, death and migration of granule cells in lobules VI-VIII of vermis, in comparison with lobule III, during cerebellar development. To this aim, a single injection of cisplatin, i.e., a cytostatic agent that is known to induce death of proliferating granule cells, was given to 10-day-old rats. Histochemical markers of proliferating (PCNA immunoreaction) and apoptotic (TUNEL staining) cells were used; the variations of the external granular layer (EGL) thickness were evaluated in parallel. After PCNA and TUNEL reactions, evident changes of the whole EGL were found on PD11 (1 day after treatment), when a reduction of the thickness of this layer was found in treated rats, mainly in consequence of the high number of apoptotic cells in all the cerebellar lobules. On PD17 (7 days after treatment), a thick layer of proliferating cells was observed in lobules VI-VIII of treated rats, while the peculiar pattern of the normal development showed a thin EGL. At the same time, in treated rats, the number of apoptotic cells in EGL was low. In all developmental stages of treated rats, after GFAP immunoreaction, glial fibers appeared twisted, thickened, and with an irregular course; intensely labeled end-feet were present. The damage of radial glia suggests an alteration of migratory processes of granule cells, which is also evidenced by the decreased thickness of the premigratory zone of the EGL. Injured radial glia fibers were restricted to lobules VI-VIII and they persisted at PD30, leading to the presence of ectopic granule cells in the molecular layer, as we previously described.     

Neurotoxic effects of colchicine: Differential susceptibility of CNS neuronal populations

Colchicine injected into the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in adult rats preferentially destroys dentate granule cells. In the present study, we examine the light- and electron-microscopic correlates of the degeneration and evaluate whether the selectivity is preserved across the range of doses between 0.18 and 25 μg. Colchicine in a similar dose range was also injected into the cerebellum, olfactory bulb, striatum and cerebral cortex to examine local and regional differences in susceptibility to colchicine.The morphological changes accompanying degeneration in the dentate gyrus include fragmentation of the granule cell layer, appearance of small dark staining bodies in the cell layer, massive microglial invasion and profound disruption of granule cell axons and dendrites. Electron-microscopic observations suggest that the small dark bodies are probably condensed nuclei. The preferential vulnerability of dentate granule cells following intrahippocampal injection was observed at all doses. At doses between 0.18 and 2.5 μg there was little evidence of damage to neurons other than dentate granule cells. At the highest dose tested (25 μg) some pyramidal cells of regio superior near the injection site were destroyed, while granule cell destruction extended several mm from the injection site. Injection of 0.5–25 μg into the cerebellum resulted in the destruction of both granule cells and Purkinje cells, while cells which appeared to be neurons in the molecular layer were less affected. Following injection of 0.5 μg into the olfactory bulb, granule cells were extensively destroyed and there appeared to be some loss of mitral cells and an overall shrinkage of the injected bulb. Neuronal destruction in the striatum was observed with colchicine injections ranging from 2.5 to 25 μg, but at a given dose, the destruction was less extensive than for any other region tested except cerebral cortex.A possible application of this method and the implications of these results for other investigators using colchicine in the brain are discussed.     

Golgi cells, granule cells and synaptic glomeruli in the molecular layer of the rabbit cerebellar cortex

Summary A sheet of regularly spaced Golgi cells, each associated with a number of granule cells and with synaptic glomeruli, lies at mid-molecular layer level in the cerebellar cortex of adult rabbits. These ectopic tissue units, which are markedly different from the surrounding molecular layer neuropil were studied by light and electron microscopy.The Golgi cells display high AChE activity and are present in maximum density in the vermis of lobules IX and X and in the dorsal part of the paraflocculus. The cells are remarkably regularly spaced, constituting a lattice-like (possibly hexagonal or triagonal) array. In Golgi impregnations, their main dendrites extend perpendicular to the surface of the folium and issue horizontal branches. Their axons descend towards the granular layer. Parallel fibres synapse with their perikarya and main dendrites.Up to 30 granule cells are associated with each Golgi cell; these lie predominantly deep to the Golgi cells in a periaxonal position. The synaptic glomeruli associated with the cells appear to be mossy fibre glomeruli similar to those of the granular layer. A somato-dendritic synapse between a molecular layer granule cell and a Purkyne cell dendritic spine was observed.Golgi cells and associated granule cells are also present in the molecular layer of the hare cerebellar cortex. In addition prominent sub-pial clusters of undescended granule cells, were observed in the hare cerebellum.We suggest that the molecular layer Golgi cells with their associated granule cells and synaptic glomeruli, cannot represent a simple developmental aberration. The tissue units they comprise are normal rather than ectopic elements of the molecular layer in rabbits and hares.     

Cerebellar cortical-layer-specific control of neuronal migration by pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide

Migration of immature neurons is essential for forming the cortical layers and nuclei. Impairment of migration results in aberrant neuronal cytoarchitecture, which leads to various neurological disorders. Neurons alter the mode, tempo and rate of migration when they translocate through different cortical layers, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this process. Here we show that endogenous pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has short-term and cortical-layer-specific effects on granule cell migration in the early postnatal mouse cerebellum. Application of exogenous PACAP significantly slowed the migration of isolated granule cells and shortened the leading process in the microexplant cultures of the postnatal day (P)0-3 cerebella. Interestingly, in the cerebellar slices of P10 mice, application of exogenous PACAP significantly inhibited granule cell migration in the external granular layer (EGL) and molecular layer (ML), but failed to alter the movement in the Purkinje cell layer (PCL) and internal granular layer (IGL). In contrast, application of PACAP antagonist accelerated granule cell migration in the PCL, but did not change the movement in the EGL, ML and IGL. Inhibition of the cAMP signaling and the activity of phospholipase C significantly reduced the effects of exogenous PACAP on granule cell migration. The PACAP action on granule cell migration was transient, and lasted for approximately 2 h. The duration of PACAP action on granule cell migration was determined by the desensitization of its receptors and prolonged by inhibiting the protein kinase C. Endogenous PACAP was present sporadically in the bottom of the ML, intensively in the PCL, and throughout the IGL. Collectively, these results indicated that PACAP acts on granule cell migration as "a brake (stop signal) for cell movement." Furthermore, these results suggest that endogenous PACAP slows granule cell migration when the cells enter the PACAP-rich PCL, and 2 h later the desensitization of PACAP receptors allows the cells to accelerate the rate of migration and to actively move within the PACAP-rich IGL. Therefore, endogenous PACAP may provide a cue that regulates granule cell migration in a cerebellar cortical-layer-specific manner.     

Quantification of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors in the cerebellum of normal and X-irradiated rats during postnatal development.

5-Hydroxytryptamine1A receptors were studied in rats during the first postnatal month in the normal cerebellum and in the granule cell-deprived cerebellum produced by X-irradiation at postnatal day 5. Quantitative autoradiographic studies on sagittal sections of cerebellar vermis, using [1251]BH-8-MeO-N-PAT as radioligand or specific anti-receptor antibodies, revealed that 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors existed in the molecular/Purkinje cell layer but at variable density from one lobule to another. Thus, in both normal and X-irradiated rats, the posterior lobules were more heavily labelled than the anterior ones, and the density of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A sites decreased progressively in all the cerebellar folia down to hardly detectable levels at postnatal day 21. However, the intensity of labelling remained higher at postnatal day 8 and postnatal day 12 in X-irradiated rats than in age-paired controls. Measurements of [3H]8-OH-DPAT specific binding to membranes from whole cerebellum confirmed that the density of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A sites per mg membrane protein (Bmax) was higher in X-irradiated animals than in age-paired controls. However, on a "per cerebellum" basis, no significant difference could be detected between the total number of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A sites, which progressively increased in both control and X-irradiated animals during the first postnatal month. These results therefore show that 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors are not located on developing granule cells. The progressive decrease in 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptor density during the first postnatal month did not reflect a transient expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors in the cerebellum of newborn rats, but resulted from the progressive "dilution" of these sites in this growing structure. The higher density of 5-hydroxytryptamine1A sites in X-irradiated rats simply reflected a lower "dilution" due to the delayed growth of the cerebellum in these animals.     

Impairment of neural precursor proliferation increases survival of cell progeny in the adult rat dentate gyrus

In the present study we show that a reduction in the number of neural precursor cells enhances survival of new granule cells in the dentate gyrus allowing the recovery of the proper granule cell layer structure. To diminish the number of newborn cells methylazoxymethanol (MAM), a toxic agent for proliferating cells, was injected during neonatal life. Proliferation of precursor cells and survival of newborn cells were assessed by BrdU administration to 1-month-old rats when granule cell layer still shows a reduction in granule cell number in treated animals. Treatment with MAM reduced cell proliferation by 30% and enhanced cell progeny survival: so that the final number of newborn cells exceeded control ones by 38%. Consistently, dentate granule cell death, assessed by the TUNEL method, was significantly decreased in the MAM rats. The enhanced survival of newborn granule cells and the consistent reduced cell death suggest a link between neurogenesis and regulation of granule cell number. A comparison with previous findings shows that the recovery in the long-term of granule cell layer may be due to the re-establishing of the progenitor pool size and/or to the rescue of cell progeny.