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PACAP Acts as a Neurotrophic Factor During Histogenesis of the Rat Cerebellar Cortex
Author(s) -
VAUDRY D.,
GONZALEZ B. J.,
BASILLE M.,
PAMANTUNG T. F.,
FOURNIER A.,
VAUDRY H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06980.x
Subject(s) - cerebellum , granule cell , cerebellar cortex , neurotrophic factors , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroblast , granule (geology) , chemistry , neurotrophin , neuroscience , histogenesis , biology , medicine , receptor , dentate gyrus , neurogenesis , central nervous system , immunohistochemistry , biochemistry , immunology , paleontology
A bstract : During development of the rat cerebellum, PAC 1 receptors are transiently expressed by neuroblasts of the external granule cell layer (EGL). We have previously shown that PACAP is a potent stimulator of granule cell survival in vitro . In the study reported in this paper, we have investigated the effect of PACAP on the development of the rat cerebellar cortex in vivo . PACAP induces a transient increase in the volume of the cerebellar cortex, with a maximum effect at postnatal day 12, which can be accounted for by an increase in the number of granule cells in the EGL, the molecular layer, and the internal granule cell layer (IGL). The effect of PACAP on the number of granule cells is blocked by the antagonist PACAP(6–38), which, by itself, produces a slight inhibition of the number of granule cells in the IGL. These data indicate that PACAP activates proliferation and/or inhibits programmed cell death of granule cells in the developing rat cerebellum. PACAP also stimulates neuronal migration from the EGL to the IGL. Thus, it appears that PACAP can act in vivo as a neurotrophic factor controlling histogenesis of the cerebellar cortex.