title: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR) expression in the developing human brain: comparative immunohistochemical study between patients with normal and mutated CFTR.
abstract: Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein has recently been shown to be expressed in the human adult central nervous system (CNS). As CFTR expression has also been documented during embryonic development in several organs, such as the respiratory tract, the intestine and the male reproductive system, suggesting a possible role during development we decided to investigate the expression of CFTR in the human developing CNS. In addition, as some, although rare, neurological symptoms have been reported in patients with CF, we compared the expression of normal and mutated CFTR at several fetal stages. Immunohistochemistry was performed on brain and spinal cord samples of foetuses between 13 and 40 weeks of gestation and compared with five patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) of similar ages. We showed in this study that CFTR is only expressed in neurons and has an early and widespread distribution during development. Although we did not observe any cerebral abnormality in patients with CF, we observed a slight delay in the maturation of several brain structures. We also observed different expression and localization of CFTR depending on the brain structure or the cell maturation stage. Our findings, along with a literature review on the neurological phenotypes of patients with CF, suggest that this gene may play previously unsuspected roles in neuronal maturation or function.
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL) pascale.marcorelles@chu-brest.fr.
authors: Pascale
authors: P
authors: Marcorelles
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL).
authors: Gaëlle
authors: G
authors: Friocourt
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL).
authors: Arnaud
authors: A
authors: Uguen
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL).
authors: Françoise
authors: F
authors: Ledé
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL).
authors: Claude
authors: C
authors: Férec
authors: Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France (PM, AU, FL)Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (PM)Inserm, UMR1078, Brest, France (GF, CF)Brest University, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest, France (GF, CF)CHRU Brest, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Histocompatibility, Brest, France (GF, CF)Pathology Laboratory, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France (AL)NeoVasc Region-Inserm Team ERI28, Laboratory of Microvascular Endothelium and Neonate Brain Lesions, Institute of Research for Innovation in Biomedicine, University of Rouen, Rouen, France (AL).
authors: Annie
authors: A
authors: Laquerrière
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: C505032:CFTR protein, human; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator
keywords: CFTR protein; Cystic Fibrosis; central nervous system; development; immunohistochemistry