title: Basic fibroblast growth factor promotes the generation and differentiation of calretinin neurons in the rat cerebral cortex in vitro.
abstract: Calretinin-expressing neurons are some of the earliest postmitotic cells to appear in the developing cerebral cortex. Lineage studies have shown that the expression of this calcium-binding protein in cortical neurons is not genetically programmed and is likely to be induced by external factors. A number of studies have clearly shown that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and a number of neurotrophins promote the proliferation and differentiation of cortical progenitor cells to a particular lineage. Here, using a culture system of dissociated rat cortical cells, we found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 promoted the morphological differentiation of one of the calretinin-containing neuronal subpopulations, the Cajal-Retzius cells. Another subpopulation of calretinin-expressing cells of smaller size and bipolar form was generated when cultures were treated with bFGF. The progenitors of these neurons were stimulated by bFGF to divide a number of times before initiating their differentiation programme. The number of calretinin-expressing neurons increased further when cultures were treated with a combination of bFGF and retinoic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Parnavelas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064032:Calbindin 2; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: C576512:Calb2 protein, rat; D064032:Calbindin 2; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2