title: Apolipoprotein D gene expression in the rat brain and light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry of apolipoprotein D expression in the cerebellum of neonatal, immature and adult rats.
abstract: Apolipoprotein D gene and protein expression were investigated in the rat brain and cerebellum, respectively, during development. Apolipoprotein D gene expression was first observed in embryonic day 12 rat brain, with a moderate increase in apolipoprotein D messenger RNA levels towards the later part (embryonic days 15-17) of gestation. In the postnatal rat brain, a marked induction of apolipoprotein D messenger RNA occurred at postnatal day 10, with progressively higher levels of apolipoprotein D messenger RNA observed up to postnatal day 20. Somewhat lower, but none the less high, levels of apolipoprotein D messenger RNA continued to be present in brains of adult animals. In the immature cerebellum (day 3 up to one- to two-week-old rats), there were many densely labeled apolipoprotein D-immunoreactive cells that had features of oligodendrocyte precursors. Purkinje neurons showed apolipoprotein D immunoreactivity in one- to two-week-old animals, after which there appeared to be some decrease in staining. Oligodendrocytes in the cerebella of two-week-old animals were strongly apolipoprotein D positive, with immunoreactivity declining in older animals. These results reveal a maturation-associated induction of apolipoprotein D gene expression in the rat brain, and expression of apolipoprotein D in glial (immature oligodendrocyte) cells in the immature cerebellum, followed by specific expression of apolipoprotein D in Purkinje neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suresh
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D053399:Apolipoproteins D