Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-1-16
pubmed:abstractText
Doublecortin (DCX), a microtubule-associated phosphoprotein, has been recently utilized as a marker of newly born neurons in the adult dentate gyrus (DG). Nonetheless, it is unknown whether DCX exclusively labels newly formed neurons, as certain granule cells with the phenotype of differentiated neurons express DCX. We addressed the authenticity of DCX as a marker of new neurons in the adult DG by quantifying cells that are positive for 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), DCX and both BrdU and DCX in hippocampal tissues of adult rats treated with daily injections of BrdU for 12 consecutive days. We provide new evidence that neurons visualized with DCX immunostaining in the adult rat DG are new neurons that are predominantly born during the 12 days before euthanasia. This is confirmed by the robust expression of BrdU in 90% of DCX-positive neurons in the DG of animals injected with BrdU for 12 days. Furthermore, DCX expression is specific to newly generated healthy neurons, as virtually all DCX-positive cells express early neuronal antigens but lack antigens specific to glia, undifferentiated cells or apoptotic cells. As DCX expression is also robust in the dendrites, DCX immunocytochemistry of thicker sections facilitates quantification of the dendritic growth in newly born neurons. Thus, both absolute number and dendritic growth of new neurons that are generated in the adult DG over a 12-day period can be quantified reliably with DCX immunostaining. This could be particularly useful for analysing changes in dentate neurogenesis in human hippocampal tissues as a function of ageing or neurodegenerative diseases.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0953-816X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
19
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
234-46
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Efficacy of doublecortin as a marker to analyse the absolute number and dendritic growth of newly generated neurons in the adult dentate gyrus.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Surgery (Division of Neurosurgery), DUMC Box 3807, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham NC 27710, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.