title: Region of caspase-3 activation and programmed cell death in the early development of the mouse forebrain.
abstract: Caspase-3-deficient 129/Sv mice show hyperplasia of the brain at embryonic (E) day 10.5-12.5, but caspase-3-deficient C57L/B6 mice do not. We examined the relationship between activation of caspase-3 and programmed cell death (PCD) during forebrain development of various mouse strains (129/Sv, ICR, C57L/B6, and CBA) using terminal deoxytransferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and immunostaining with antiserum against the caspase-3 (anti-m3D175) cleavage site. A number of anti-m3D175 positive cells and TUNEL positive cells were detected in the ventral side of the forebrain of 129/Sv and ICR mice at E8.5-9 but not in C57L/B6 and CBA mice. Ac-DEVD-MCA cleavage activity, a caspase-3-like activity, also suggests the preferential activation of caspase-3 in the ventral forebrain of ICR mice but not in C57L/B6 mice. Developmental changes of TUNEL and anti-m3D175 reactivities were essentially similar during brain morphogenesis of ICR and 129/Sv mice. The number of TUNEL/anti-m3D175 positive cells decreased in the neuroepithelium of the ventral forebrain at E9.5 before generation of the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE). TUNEL and/or anti-m3D175 reactivity was slightly detectable in the MGE at E10.5, from which neuroprogenitor cells follow a tangential migratory route to the cortex. Activation of caspase-9 was also immunohistochemically detected in the ventral forebrain at E8.5-9, suggesting that activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 occurs in the PCD of this region. Thus, it is likely that decreased cell death in the ventral forebrain of caspase-3- and caspase-9-deficient 129/Sv mice increases the number of neuroprogenitor cells in the MGE, leading to hyperplasia of the forebrain.
authors: Division of Development and Differentiation, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors: Koko
authors: K
authors: Urase
authors: Yoriko
authors: Y
authors: Kouroku
authors: Eriko
authors: E
authors: Fujita
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Momoi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D003374:Coumarins / Q000494:pharmacology; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005333:Fetus; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: C112287:Ac-aspartyl-glutamyl-valyl-aspartyl-aminomethylcoumarin; D000906:Antibodies; D003374:Coumarins; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D009842:Oligopeptides; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases