Developmental expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA in mouse forebrain germinal zones--implications for stem cell biology.
Postnatal neural stem cells (NSCs) express the "traditional" astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Here, we analyze the ontogeny of GFAP mRNA in mouse forebrain germinal zones (GZ). On embryonic day 15, mRNA distribution is highly restricted. Subsequently, expression expands to include many cells in the GZ regions adjacent to the cortex and septum but not to the striatum. Double immunostaining for GFAP and nestin did not demonstrate extensive overlap in the GZ of adult rats, suggesting that either few of the GFAP-expressing cells are stem cells, or that nestin is not a reliable marker for stem cells in the adult rat brain. The current findings indicate that while some GFAP-expressing cells in the GZ may be NSCs, most are not likely to function in a neurogenic capacity.
UCLA Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Irina J
IJ
Fox
Andres A
AA
Paucar
Ichiro
I
Nakano
Jack
J
Mottahedeh
Joseph D
JD
Dougherty
Harley I
HI
Kornblum
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D064231:Nestin; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C577485:Nes protein, mouse; C577486:Nes protein, rat; D064231:Nestin; D012333:RNA, Messenger