title: Postnatal reorganization of F-actin in the central canal of the spinal cord in the rat.
abstract: The ependymocytes lining the central canal of the spinal cord in rats have prominent F-actin networks in the apical cytoplasm, exhibiting significant regional heterogeneity between differing spinal levels. It is not clear when and how this regional heterogeneity develops. We examined F-actin in the central canal during postnatal development using fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated phalloidin staining and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The apical F-actin network in the central canal increased gradually in width during the first 2 weeks after birth, peaked rapidly in the third postnatal week, then decreased gradually to adult levels. Regional differences in the F-actin network did not appear until 21 postnatal days. When the intervertebral spine movements of rats aged 14 days are continuously restrained for 1 week, no regional differences of F-actin arose. These findings suggest that regional differentiation of the organization of F-actin network is related to the differing kinematics of the spine at different levels.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neural Architecture, Advanced Technology Development Group, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Hirosawa 2-1, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Yan-Chao
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wan-Zhu
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashikawa
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D019793:Fluorescein; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009038:Motion; D010590:Phalloidine; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D010590:Phalloidine; D019793:Fluorescein