title: Differential expression of bcl-w and bcl-x messenger RNA in the developing and adult rat nervous system.
abstract: The bcl-2 family of proteins comprises both anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members, which play a pivotal role in regulating cell death. Bcl-w is a recently identified member of this family, which was shown to inhibit apoptosis in haemopoietic cell lines. However, the function and expression patterns of bcl-w in the nervous system have so far not been described. We have cloned complementary DNA corresponding to rat bcl-w and analysed the expression of bcl-w messenger RNA during rat brain development, using RNA blotting and in situ hybridization techniques. We also compared the expression patterns of bcl-w with those of bcl-xL. During brain development, the levels of bcl-w messenger RNA were found to increase, with highest expression located to specific regions of the mature brain, such as hippocampus, cerebellum, piriform cortex and locus coeruleus. Bcl-w messenger RNA was expressed by neurons, as shown with double labeling with neuronal markers. In contrast to bcl-w, bcl-xL messenger RNA expression levels were highest during early development, particularly in cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. During postnatal development the expression of bcl-xL messenger RNA decreased and were only detected at low levels in the adult nervous system. As shown earlier for bcl-2, the expression of bcl-w and bcl-x messenger RNA in cultured cerebellar granule cells was not altered by the deprivation of neurotrophic factors. The present results suggest that bcl-w may play an important role in the mature nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Developmental Neuroscience, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamnér
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Skoglösa
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lindholm
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002864:Chromogranins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: C494813:Bcl2l1 protein, rat; C491072:Bcl2l2 protein, rat; D002864:Chromogranins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051020:bcl-X Protein; C498643:Gnas protein, rat; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs