Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 mRNA in the rat developing forebrain and retina.
Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-3, a receptor for VEGF-C and VEGF-D, is expressed in neural progenitor cells, but there has been no comprehensive study of its distribution in the developing brain. Here, the temporal and cell-specific expression of VEGFR-3 mRNA was studied in the developing rat forebrain and eye. Expression appeared along the ventricular and subventricular zones of the lateral and third ventricles showing ongoing neurogenesis as early as embryonic day 13 but was progressively down-regulated during development and remained in the subventricular zone and rostral migratory stream of the adult forebrain. VEGFR-3 expression was also detectable in some differentiating and postmitotic neurons in the developing cerebral cortex, including Cajal-Retzius cells, cortical plate neurons, and subplate neurons. Expression in the subplate increased significantly during the early postnatal period but was absent by postnatal day 14. It was also highly expressed in nonneural tissues of the eye during development, including the retinal pigment epithelium, the retinal ciliary margin, and the lens, but persisted in a subset of cells in the pigmented ciliary epithelium of the adult eye. In contrast, there was weak or undetectable expression in the early neural retina, but a subset of retinal neurons in the postnatal and mature retina showed intense signals. These unique spatiotemporal mRNA expression patterns suggest that VEGFR-3 might mediate the regulation of both neurogenesis and adult neuronal function in the rat forebrain and eye.
Choi
Jeong-Sun
JS
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 137-701 Seoul, Korea.
Shin
Yoo-Jin
YJ
Lee
Ji-Yeon
JY
Yun
Hou
H
Cha
Jung-Ho
JH
Choi
Jae-Youn
JY
Chun
Myung-Hoon
MH
Lee
Mun-Yong
MY
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3