engleski

Neuroplastin expression in fetal hippocampal tissue

AIM The aim of this study was to analyze developmental pattern of neuroplastin immunoreactivity in human fetal hippocampal tissue. INTRODUCTION The hippocampus is a three-layered cortical structure located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain that receives a"erent input from cortical regions processing a range of sensory modalities. Neurodevelopmental studies of human hippocampus showed formation of first synapses during early fetal period, mostly within 15. gestational week (g.w.). It has been evidenced that large and diverse family of cell adhesion molecules is involved in complex regulation of neural development and plasticity. Neuroplastin, a cell adhesion transmembrane glycoprotein is expressed mostly within postsynaptic densities where it is involved in intercellular interactions. METHODS Materials used in this study were formaline-fixed para$ne-embedded fetal human hippocampal sections, in gestational age of 12.-40. g.w. Neuroplastin expression was analyzed immunohistochemically using primary anti-neuroplastin antibody. Following diaminobenzidine visualization, the sections were analyzed using light microscope Olympus AX70 Provis and neuroplastin immunoreactivity was additionally quantified by ImageJ program (NIH). RESULTS In our study, neuroplastin immunoreactivity in human hippocampal tissue was not observed earlier than mid-fetal and late-fetal period. Gradually higher neuroplastin immunoreactivity was observed with increasing gestational age. Data from other studies on human brain transcriptome showed that neuroplastin gene expression increases from early fetal period and reaches a peak expression during late fetal and neonatal period. Our data on neuroplastin protein expression in human hippocampus is in accordance with published human brain transcriptomic analysis. CONCLUSION We conclude that increasing neuroplastin expression in hippocampus during brain development coincides with formation of hippocampal synapses and suggest that neuroplastin is one of the molecules involved in regulation of synaptic plasticity.

neuroplastin; hippocampus; fetal brain

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