title: Evidence that Doublecortin is dispensable for the development of adult born neurons in mice.
abstract: In mammals, adult neural stem cells give rise to new hippocampal dentate granule neurons and interneurons of the olfactory bulb throughout life. The microtubule associated protein Doublecortin (DCX) is expressed by migrating neuroblasts and immature neurons, and is widely used as a stage-specific marker of adult neurogenesis and as a marker to identify neurogenic activity in the adult brain per se. Mutations in the DCX gene have been causally linked to human lissencephalic syndromes. Moreover, embryonic loss of DCX function interferes with neuronal migration and dendritic patterning in a species- and region-specific manner. A putative function of DCX in adult neurogenesis has not been directly explored. Here we show that overexpression of DCX in newly generated dentate granule neurons of the adult mouse brain has no effect on morphological maturation or migration. We also show that micro (mi) RNA-mediated retroviral knockdown of DCX does not alter morphological maturation of adult born dentate granule cells or migration of new neurons in either adult neurogenic niche. Thus, the present data indicate that DCX is dispensable for the development of new neurons in adult mice.
authors.affiliation: Research Group Adult Neurogenesis and Neural Stem Cells, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich-Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Merz
authors.forename: D Chichung
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology; D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C000714328:DCX protein, human; C000714847:Dcx protein, mouse; D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides