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Early embryonic brain development in rats requires the trophic influence of cerebrospinal fluid
Author(s) -
Martin C.,
Alonso M.I.,
Santiago C.,
Moro J.A.,
De la Mano A.,
Carretero R.,
Gato A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2009.06.002
Subject(s) - cerebrospinal fluid , neuroepithelial cell , corticogenesis , neurogenesis , biology , morphogenesis , neuroscience , embryogenesis , embryo , embryonic stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , medicine , genetics , gene
Abstract Cerebrospinal fluid has shown itself to be an essential brain component during development. This is particularly evident at the earliest stages of development where a lot of research, performed mainly in chick embryos, supports the evidence that cerebrospinal fluid is involved in different mechanisms controlling brain growth and morphogenesis, by exerting a trophic effect on neuroepithelial precursor cells (NPC) involved in controlling the behaviour of these cells. Despite it being known that cerebrospinal fluid in mammals is directly involved in corticogenesis at fetal stages, the influence of cerebrospinal fluid on the activity of NPC at the earliest stages of brain development has not been demonstrated. Here, using “in vitro” organotypic cultures of rat embryo brain neuroepithelium in order to expose NPC to or deprive them of cerebrospinal fluid, we show that the neuroepithelium needs the trophic influence of cerebrospinal fluid to undergo normal rates of cell survival, replication and neurogenesis, suggesting that NPC are not self‐sufficient to induce their normal activity. This data shows that cerebrospinal fluid is an essential component in chick and rat early brain development, suggesting that its influence could be constant in higher vertebrates.