Open AccessApoptosis in human embryo development: 1. Cerebral cortex
Author(s) -
Voiculescu B.,
Nat Roxana,
Lin Elisa,
Iosef Cristiana
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2000.tb00128.x
Subject(s) - propidium iodide , tunel assay , biology , apoptosis , neuroblast , fas receptor , population , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology , programmed cell death , neurogenesis , medicine , genetics , environmental health
We investigated the apoptosis at the beginning of human cerebral cortex development, in the 6th week of embryogenesis, Carnegie stages 16 and 17. Attention was focused on the dorsal wall of the telencephalon to the ventricular zone of proliferation and to the postmitotic zone with beginning of neuronal migration. We identified apoptotic cells in tissue sections by propidium iodide staining, TUNEL and immunohistochemistry for Fas(APO‐1/CD95). We determined the distribution and the percentage (reported to the propidium iodide stained nuclei) of apoptotic TUNEL‐positive and Fas(APO‐1/CD95)‐positive cells. TUNEL‐positive apoptotic cells in the proliferative zone were 20% in stage 16 and 60% in stage 17. TUNEL‐positive apoptotic cells in the postmitotic zone were 8% in stage 16 and 30% in stage 17. CD95‐positive apoptotic cells in the proliferative zone were 5% in stage 16 and 2% in stage 17. There were no CD95‐positive cells in the postmitotic zone. We evidentiated the presence of the suicide receptor Fas(APO‐1/CD95) only on a small population of apoptotic neuroblasts in the proliferative zone. The differences between apoptotic distribution and receptors in early corticogenesis suggest that different apoptotic pathways drive the selection of neuronal populations.