title: Rapid conversion of drebrin isoforms during synapse formation in primary culture of cortical neurons.
abstract: Easier methods to evaluate synapse formation in cultured neurons are desirable to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of synaptic development. We focused on drebrin, which changes from embryonic-type to adult-type isoform during postnatal development. The adult-type isoform of drebrin was detected by Western blotting after seventh day in primary cultured cortical neurons and the expression was coincidental with that of synaptophysin. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction could demonstrate reversal of the predominant drebrin mRNA isoform from embryonic type to adult type between 8 and 13 days of culture. This is an easy and quick method to evaluate synapse formation in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Gunma University School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showamachi, Maebashi, Gunma 371, Japan. hayashi@ab.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007536:Isomerism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats / Q000196:embryology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016708:Synaptophysin; C053386:drebrins