Pax6, a paired homeobox DNA binding protein, has been found to be expressed in the cerebellum in both granule cells and their precursors in the external granular layer (EGL). In this study we have traced Pax6 expression through embryonic development in mice by using a polyclonal antibody against Pax6 and used it to study the cellular dispersal pattern of the EGL. During dispersal the EGL was th...

Gamma frequency (30-70 Hz) synchronized oscillatory activity in the olfactory bulb is widely believed to be important for odor detection and discrimination. As in other circuits with "gamma activity," the activity in the bulb is driven by GABAergic interneurons, specifically a class of axonless cells called granule cells. However, bulb granule cells appear to lack some key mechanistic features ...

Cultures greatly enriched in granule cells from early postnatal cerebellum (P8) were grown in a medium containing fetal calf serum. Under the conditions used, nerve cells died, usually within a week, unless the K+ concentration in the medium was greater than or equal to 20 mM. The requirement for elevated [K+]e was manifested by about 3 d in vitro, and after this time continuous exposure to hig...

Neural stem cells (NSCs) generate new granule cells throughout life in the mammalian hippocampus. Canonical Wnt signaling regulates the differentiation of NSCs towards the neuronal lineage. Here we identified the prospero-related homeodomain transcription factor Prox1 as a target of β-catenin-TCF/LEF signaling in vitro and in vivo. Prox1 overexpression enhanced neuronal differentiation whereas ...

The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) is the first relay station in the vomeronasal system and may play a critical role in processing pheromone signals. The AOB shows similar but less distinct lamination compared with the main olfactory bulb (MOB). In this study, synaptic organization of the AOB was analyzed in slice preparations from adult rats by using both field potential and patch-clamp record...

Following status epilepticus in the rat, dentate granule cell neurogenesis increases greatly, and many of the new neurons appear to develop ectopically, in the hilar region of the hippocampal formation. It has been suggested that the ectopic hilar granule cells could contribute to the spontaneous seizures that ultimately develop after status epilepticus. However, the population has never been q...

The weaver mutation results in the extensive death of midline cerebellar granule cells. The mutation consists of a single base pair substitution of the gene encoding the G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying potassium channel protein, GIRK2. The functional consequences of this mutation are still in dispute. In this study we demonstrate the in vivo and in vitro rescue of weaver granule cells w...

Hippocampal dentate granule cells are among the few neuronal cell types generated throughout adult life in mammals. In the normal brain, new granule cells are generated from progenitors in the subgranular zone and integrate in a typical fashion. During the development of epilepsy, granule cell integration is profoundly altered. The new cells migrate to ectopic locations and develop misoriented ...

For regulated secretion, mast cells and several other cell types utilize compound exocytosis, a combination of granule-plasma membrane and granule-granule fusions. The molecular machinery that controls this massive export process has not been identified. We report that SNAP-23, a t-SNARE related to SNAP-25, relocates in response to stimulation from plasma membrane lamellipodia-like projections ...

BACKGROUND Chronic stress has been found to suppress adult neurogenesis, but it remains unclear whether it may affect the maturation process of adult-born neurons. Here, we examined the influence of chronic social defeat stress on the morphological and electrophysiological properties of adult-born dentate granule cells at different developmental stages. METHODS Adult C57BL/6 mice were subject...