QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, March 12, 2008, 28(11):2941-2948; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3897-07.2008

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jung, A-r. Articles by Sun, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jung, A-r. Articles by Sun, W.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Development/Plasticity/Repair
Misplacement of Purkinje Cells during Postnatal Development in Bax Knock-Out Mice: A Novel Role for Programmed Cell Death in the Nervous System?

A-rong Jung,¹ Tae Woo Kim,¹ Im Joo Rhyu,¹ Hyun Kim,¹ Young Don Lee,² Sharon Vinsant,³ Ronald W. Oppenheim,³ and Woong Sun¹

¹Department of Anatomy, BK21 Program, Korea University College of Medicine, Sungbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea, ²Department of Anatomy, Ajou University of Medicine, Suwon 443-721, Korea, and ³Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and Neuroscience Program, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Woong Sun, Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1 Anam-Dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea. Email: woongsun{at}korea.ac.kr

During early postnatal development, the orchestrated regulation of proliferation, migration and the survival versus elimination of neurons is essential for histogenesis of the cerebellum. For instance, Purkinje cells (PCs) promote the proliferation and migration of external granule cells (EGCs), whereas EGCs in turn play a role in the migration of PCs. Considering that a substantial number of neurons undergo programmed cell death (PCD) during cerebellar development, it seems likely that neuronal loss could have a significant role in the histogenesis of the cerebellum. To address this question, we examined postnatal development of the cerebellum in Bax-knock-out (KO) mice in which the PCD of PC has been reported to be selectively reduced or eliminated, whereas EGCs are unaffected. We confirmed the absence of PC PCD as well as the normal PCD of EGCs in Bax-KO mice. We also observed a subpopulation of PCs that were misplaced in the inner granule cell layer of Bax-KO mice on postnatal day 5 (P5) to P10 and that, by the end of the major period of cerebellar histogenesis (P14), lose expression of the PC marker calbindin. These results suggest that the removal of ectopically located neurons may be a previously unrecognized function of developmental PCD.

Key words: Bax; programmed cell death; cerebellum; Purkinje cell; cerebral cortex; migration

---

Received Feb. 5, 2007; revised Dec. 25, 2007; accepted Jan. 22, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Woong Sun, Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1 Anam-Dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea. Email: woongsun{at}korea.ac.kr

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help