title: Doublecortin (DCX) is not Essential for Survival and Differentiation of Newborn Neurons in the Adult Mouse Dentate Gyrus.
abstract: In the adult brain, expression of the microtubule-associated protein Doublecortin (DCX) is associated with neural progenitor cells (NPCs) that give rise to new neurons in the dentate gyrus. Many studies quantify the number of DCX-expressing cells as a proxy for the level of adult neurogenesis, yet no study has determined the effect of removing DCX from adult hippocampal NPCs. Here, we use a retroviral and inducible mouse transgenic approach to either knockdown or knockout DCX from adult NPCs in the dentate gyrus and examine how this affects cell survival and neuronal maturation. Our results demonstrate that shRNA-mediated knockdown of DCX or Cre-mediated recombination in floxed DCX mice does not alter hippocampal neurogenesis and does not change the neuronal fate of the NPCs. Together these findings show that the survival and maturation of adult-generated hippocampal neurons does not require DCX.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jagroop
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dhaliwal
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Yanwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMRS 839Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie CurieParis, France; Institut du Fer à MoulinParis, France.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruel-Jungerman
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie CurieParis, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMRS 952Paris, France.
authors.forename: Johanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMRS 839Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie CurieParis, France; Institut du Fer à MoulinParis, France.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lagace
keywords: DCX knockdown; DCX knockout; adult neurogenesis; differentiation; doublecortin; retrovirus labeling; survival