J Vet Sci.  2011 Mar;12(1):1-6. 10.4142/jvs.2011.12.1.1.

Differential patterns of nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in mouse hippocampus during postnatal development

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Korea. moonc@chonnam.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Veterinary Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Korea.
  • 3Department of Experimental Radiation Research, Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Busan 619-753, Korea.
  • 4Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, Korea. shint@jejunu.ac.kr

Abstract

Intermediate filaments, including nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), are important for the brain to accommodate neural activities and changes during development. The present study examined the temporal changes of nestin and GFAP protein levels in the postnatal development of the mouse hippocampus. Mouse hippocampi were sampled on postnatal day (PND) 1, 3, 6, 18, and 48. Western blot analysis showed that nestin expression was high at PND 1 and markedly decreased until PND 18. Conversely, GFAP expression was acutely increased in the early phase of postnatal development. Nestin immunoreactivity was localized mainly in the processes of ramified cells at PND 1, but expression subsequently decreased. In contrast, GFAP was evident mainly in the marginal cells of the hippocampus at PND 1, but immunoreactivity revealed satellite, radial, or ramified shapes of the cells from PND 6-48. This study demonstrates that the opposing pattern of nestin and GFAP expressions in mouse hippocampus during postnatal development occur in the early development stage (PND 1-18), suggesting that the opposing change of nestin and GFAP in early postnatal development is important for neural differentiation and positioning in the mouse hippocampus.

Keyword

GFAP; hippocampus; mice; nestin; postnatal development

MeSH Terms

*Aging
Animals
Blotting, Western
Brain/cytology/growth & development
Female
*Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/genetics/*metabolism
Hippocampus/cytology/*growth & development/*metabolism
Immunohistochemistry
Intermediate Filament Proteins/genetics/*metabolism
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred ICR
Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics/*metabolism
Neurons/metabolism

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Temporal expression of nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in mouse hippocampus during postnatal development. (A) Representative photographs of the Western blots for nestin, GFAP, and β-actin. The arrowheads indicate the positions of nestin (~215 kDa), GFAP (~53 kDa), and β-actin (~45 kDa). (B) Bar graphs showing the results of densitometric data analysis (mean ± SE, n = 4 mice/group). The value indicating nestin and GFAP expression levels from the hippocampus at postnatal day (PND) 1 and 48, respectively, was arbitrarily defined as 1 (B, bar graphs).

  • Fig. 2 Nestin immunostaining at PND 1 (A, B, C), 6 (D, E, F), and 48 (G, H , I) in the dentate gyrus (DG) and cornu ammonis (CA) 1 of mouse hippocampus. Nestin expression was strongly detected at PND 1. Arrows indicate nestin-positive blood vessels. Left panels show low magnification views of unilateral hippocampus. Middle panels present higher magnification views of DG. Right panels show higher magnification views of CA1. Scale bars = 250 µm (A, D, G); 20 µm (B, E, H); 25 µm (C, F, I).

  • Fig. 3 GFAP immunostaining at PND 1 (A, B, C), 6 (D, E, F) and 48 (G, H, I) in the DG and CA1 of mouse hippocampus. Left panels present low magnification views of unilateral hippocampus. Middle panels show higher magnification views of DG. Right panel present higher magnification view of CA1. Scale bars = 200 µm (A, D, G); 25 µm (B, C, E, F, H, I).


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