Abstract
Here, we have developed a highly sensitive immunoassay for Dcx to characterize expression in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of rodents. We demonstrate that Dcx is widely expressed during development in various brain regions and as well can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid of rats (up to 30 days postnatal). While Dcx protein level decline in adulthood and were detectable in neurogenic regions of the adult rodent brain, similar levels were also detectable in brain regions expected to bear no neurogenesis including the cerebral cortex and CA1/CA3 enriched hippocampus. We monitored DCX protein levels after paradigms to increase or severely decrease adult hippocampal neurogenesis, namely physical activity and cranial radiation, respectively. In both paradigms, Dcx protein- and mRNA-levels clearly reflected changes in neurogenesis in the hippocampus. However, basal Dcx-levels are unaffected in non-neurogenic regions (e.g. CA1/CA3 enriched hippocampus, cortex). These data suggest that there is a substantial "non-neurogenic" pool of Dcx- protein, whose regulation can be uncoupled from adult neurogenesis suggesting caution for the interpretation of such studies.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Animals
-
Brain / cytology
-
Brain / metabolism*
-
Brain / radiation effects
-
Doublecortin Domain Proteins
-
Doublecortin Protein
-
Female
-
Gene Expression Regulation / radiation effects
-
Hippocampus / cytology
-
Hippocampus / metabolism
-
Hippocampus / radiation effects
-
Male
-
Mice
-
Microtubule-Associated Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid
-
Microtubule-Associated Proteins / genetics
-
Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism*
-
Neurogenesis* / radiation effects
-
Neuropeptides / cerebrospinal fluid
-
Neuropeptides / genetics
-
Neuropeptides / metabolism*
-
RNA, Messenger / genetics
-
RNA, Messenger / metabolism
-
Rats
Substances
-
Dcx protein, mouse
-
Dcx protein, rat
-
Doublecortin Domain Proteins
-
Doublecortin Protein
-
Microtubule-Associated Proteins
-
Neuropeptides
-
RNA, Messenger
Grants and funding
FF acknowledges the support of the Inserm Avenir program, the French Agence National de la Recherche (ANR- 08-MNP-013), the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller, the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, and the Ile de France region through the Neuropole (Nerf) for support of EB and animal house facilities. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.