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Synapsin I expression in spinal cord neurons during chick embryo development
Author(s) -
Plateroti M.,
Vignoli A. L.,
Biagioni S.,
di Stasi A. M. M.,
Petrucci T. C.,
AugustiTocco G.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490390505
Subject(s) - synapsin i , synapsin , spinal cord , immunostaining , biology , neurite , embryo , in situ hybridization , motor neuron , neuroscience , neuron , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , immunohistochemistry , gene expression , immunology , in vitro , biochemistry , gene , vesicle , membrane , synaptic vesicle
The cellular distribution of synapsin I in chick spinal cord has been examined during embryo development and in cultured neurons from different developmental stages. Using immunocytochemical methods we have observed that synapsin I appears lightly detectable in spinal cord of embryonic day (E)5–E8 embryos when the motor neurons have already established functional contacts with muscle fibers, and increases at E9. Until E8 synapsin I immunoreactivity appeared mainly localized in the gray matter of spinal cord; immunostaining of white matter becomes clearly evident only at E9. These observations indicate that synapsin I expression and possibly its transport to the nerve terminals may be stimulated by sequential signals. The cellular distribution of synapsin I observed in vivo is maintained in E8 and E9 spinal cord neuron cell cultures. In fact, in E8 cultured neurons, synapsin I immunostaining is observed only in the cell body, while in E9 cultured neurons both cell body and fibers are stained. The addition of muscle extracts to E8 cultures induces synapsin I decoration of fibers similar to that observed in E9 cultured neurons. Indeed Western and Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization demonstrate an increase of synapsin I and its mRNA in spinal cord neurons kept in the presence of muscle extracts. These data suggest that synapsin I expression, as previously reported for other neuronal markers, can be modulated by soluble factors present in target cells. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.