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Expression of the gene for the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin coincides with the onset of neuronal differentiation in the developing rat nervous system
Author(s) -
Fliegner Karsten H.,
Kaplan Michael P.,
Wood Teresa L.,
Pintar John E.,
Liem Ronald K. H.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.903420202
Subject(s) - neurofilament , biology , intermediate filament , microbiology and biotechnology , central nervous system , neuroscience , protein subunit , nervous system , cytoskeleton , gene , cell , genetics , immunohistochemistry , immunology
While neurofilaments have long been considered early markers of neuronal differentiation, they cannot be detected in most newly postmitotic neurons of the developing central nervous system (CNS). Here we show that these neurons already express the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin at high levels. α‐internexin is expressed by most, if not all, neurons as they begin differentiation and shows no overlap with vimentin, whose expression in the CNS is restricted to mitotic neuronal precursors. In the adult, α‐internexin is the only intermediate filament gene expressed by the cerebellar granule cells, the source of the thin‐caliber parallel fibers; conversely, neurofilament proteins are highly expressed in large neurons, which express α‐internexin at low levels. These data suggest that neuronal intermediate filaments may regulate axonal stability and/or diameter through changes not only in their number, but also in their subunit composition. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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