Decreased cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor heterozygous mice.
It is suggested that deficits of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) might be associated with the cognitive impairments of Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, and that agonists for alpha 7 nAChR could be useful for treatment of cognitive dysfunction in these diseases. This study was undertaken to examine the role of alpha 7 nAChRs on hippocampal cellular proliferation of adult mice. The number of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-immunoreactive cells in the granule cell layer (GCL) and hilus of alpha 7 nAChR heterozygous (+/-) mice was significantly decreased as compared with that of wild-type (+/+) mice. In contrast, the number of BrdU-immunoreactive cells in GCL and hilus of alpha 7 nAChR homozygous (-/-) mice was not different from that of wild-type mice. The results suggest that reduced levels of alpha 7 nAChRs may decrease cell proliferation of adult hippocampus.
Koike
Kaori
K
Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Hashimoto
Kenji
K
Okamura
Naoe
N
Ohgake
Shintaro
S
Shimizu
Eiji
E
Koizumi
Hiroki
H
Komatsu
Naoya
N
Iyo
Masaomi
M
D000818:Animals; D000963:Antimetabolites; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics*; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
D000963:Antimetabolites; C579166:Chrna7 protein, mouse; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine