Published papers

© 2019 The Authors Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent mitogen critical for angiogenesis and organogenesis. Deletion or inhibition of VEGF during development not only profoundly suppresses vascular outgrowth, but significantly affects the development and function of various organs. In the brain, VEGF is thought to not only promote vascular growth, but also directly act on neurons as a neurotrophic factor by activating VEGF receptors. In the present study, we demonstrated that deletion of VEGF using hGfap-Cre line, which recombines genes specifically in cortical and hippocampal neurons, severely impaired brain organization and vascularization of these regions. The mutant mice had motor deficits, with lethality around the time of weaning. Multiple reporter lines indicated that VEGF was highly expressed in neurons, but that its cognate receptors, VEGFR1 and 2 were exclusive to endothelial cells in the brain. In accordance, mice lacking neuronal VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 did not exhibit neuronal deformities or lethality. Taken together, our data suggest that neuron-derived VEGF contributes to cortical and hippocampal development likely through angiogenesis independently of direct neurotrophic effects mediated by VEGFR1 and 2.

Recording the electrical activity of multiple neurons simultaneously would greatly facilitate studies on the function of neuronal circuits. The combination of the fast scanning by random-access multiphoton microscopy (RAMP) and the latest two-photon-compatible high-performance fluorescent genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) has enabled action potential detection in deep layers in in vivo brain. However, neuron connectivity analysis on optically recorded action potentials from multiple neurons in brain tissue has yet to be achieved. With high expression of a two-photon-compatible GEVI, ASAP3, via in utero electroporation and RAMP, we achieved voltage recording of spontaneous activities from multiple neurons in brain slice. We provide evidence for the developmental changes in intralaminar horizontal connections in somatosensory cortex layer 2/3 with a greater sensitivity than calcium imaging. This method thus enables investigation of neuronal network connectivity at the cellular resolution in brain tissue.

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. During development of the mammalian cerebral neocortex, postmitotic excitatory neurons migrate toward the outermost region of the neocortex. We previously reported that this outermost region is composed of densely packed relatively immature neurons; we named this region, which is observed during the late stage of mouse neocortical development, the “primitive cortical zone (PCZ).” Here, we report that postmigratory immature neurons spend about 1–1.5 days in the PCZ. An electron microscopic analysis showed that the neurons in the PCZ tend to be in direct contact with each other, mostly in a radial direction, forming “primitive neuronal clusters” with a height of 3–7 cells and a width of 1–2 cells. A time-course analysis of fluorescently labeled neurons revealed that the neurons took their positions within the primitive clusters in an inside-out manner. The neurons initially participated in the superficial part of the clusters, gradually shifted their relative positions downward, and then left the clusters at the bottom of this structure. GABAergic inhibitory interneurons were also found within the primitive clusters in the developing mouse neocortex, suggesting that some clusters are composed of both excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons. Similar clusters were also observed in the outermost region of embryonic day (E) 78 cynomolgus monkey occipital cortex and 23 gestational week (GW) human neocortices. In the primate neocortices, including human, the presumptive primitive clusters seemed to expand in the radial direction more than that observed in mice, which might contribute to the functional integrity of the primate neocortex.

© Copyright © 2019 Morimoto and Nakajima. The central nervous system (CNS) and the immune system are both intricate and highly organized systems that regulate the entire body, with both sharing certain common features in developmental mechanisms and operational modes. It is known that innate immunity-related molecules, such as cytokines, toll-like receptors, the complement family, and acquired immunity-related molecules, such as the major histocompatibility complex and antibody receptors, are also expressed in the brain and play important roles in brain development. Moreover, although the brain has previously been regarded as an immune-privileged site, it is known to contain lymphatic vessels. Not only microglia but also lymphocytes regulate cognition and play a vital role in the formation of neuronal circuits. This review provides an overview of the function of immune cells and immune molecules in the CNS, with particular emphasis on their effect on neural developmental processes.

(K. Nakajima is the corresponding author)

＜onlineでは08年12月＞

the most downloaded articles の第3位になった