title: Cortical diffusible factors increase MAP-2 immunoreactive neuronal population in thalamic cultures.
abstract: Previous experiments have established that grafts of embryonic day (E) 16 frontal cortex placed into the occipital cortex of postnatal day (P) 0-P1 rats selectively attract axons from the ventrolateral and ventromedial (VL/VM) thalamic nuclei (Frappé et al., Exp. Neurol. 169 (2001) 264). The present study was therefore undertaken to identify any possible maturation-promoting activity of the cortex on VL/VM thalamic cells. In a first step, a primary culture of VL/VM thalamic cells taken from P0-P1 rats was developed. Neurons, glial cells and a few immature, nestin immunoreactive cells were identified in the culture. In a second step, VL/VM thalamic cells that had been maintained in vitro for 4-5 days were cultured for 7 additional days in isolation (control condition) or with an E16 or P5 explant of frontal or occipital cortex placed on a microporous membrane. In control conditions, the total cell population and the percentage of MAP-2 immunoreactive neurons were not modified with time. In contrast, the percentage of MAP-2 immunoreactive neurons was increased in E16 cortex co-cultures whereas the total cell population was unchanged and the proliferative activity remained very low. Also, the mean number of neurites per neuron was increased but no effect was found on neuritic length. Similar effects on neuronal maturation were found with E16 frontal or occipital cortex explants, indicating a lack of areal specificity. P5 cortex also produced, but to a lesser extent, an increase in percentage of MAP-2 immunoreactive neurons. Further, P5 cortex had no effect on mean number of neurites per neuron but substantially promoted elongation of neuronal processes. We propose that in addition to their well-established survival promoting effect, diffusible molecules released by embryonic and early postnatal cortex can promote in vitro the maturation of thalamic neurons.
authors.affiliation: CNRS-UMR 6558, Laboratoire des Biomembranes et Signalisation Cellulaire, Université de Poitiers, Faculté des Sciences, Poitiers, France. valerie.coronas@univ-poitiers.fr
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Coronas
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arnault
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004058:Diffusion; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013788:Thalamus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins