The mammalian neocortex comprises two major neuronal subtypes; interneurons derived from the ganglionic eminence (GE) and projection neurons from the cortical ventricular zone (VZ). These separate origins necessitate distinct pathways of migration. Using mouse genetics and embryonic forebrain slice culture assays, we sought to identify substrates and/or guidance molecules for nonradial cell mig...

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a simple phospholipid with extracellular signaling properties mediated by specific G protein-coupled receptors. At least 2 LPA receptors, LPA(1) and LPA(2), are expressed in the developing brain, the former enriched in the neurogenic ventricular zone (VZ), suggesting a normal role in neurogenesis. Despite numerous studies reporting the effects of exogenous LPA usi...

The transcription factors Emx2 and Pax6 are expressed in the proliferating zones of the developing rodent neocortex, and gradients of expression interact in specifying caudal and rostral identities. Pax6 is also involved in corticoneurogenesis, being expressed by radial glial progenitors that give rise to cells that also sequentially express Tbr2, NeuroD and Tbr1, genes temporally downstream of...

BACKGROUND Vetiveria zizanioides (VZ) (family: Poaceae), an aromatic plant commonly known as "Vetiver" has been used for various ailments. Concerning the various ailments being listed as the traditional uses of VZ, no mention about anxiety and memory was found. OBJECTIVE The present study examined the anxiolytic and memory enhancing activity of ethanolic extract of V. zizanioides (EEVZ) dried...

Glutamatergic neurons of the mammalian cerebral cortex originate from radial glia (RG) progenitors in the ventricular zone (VZ). During corticogenesis, neuroblasts migrate toward the pial surface using two different migration modes. One is multipolar (MP) migration with random directional movement, and the other is locomotion, which is a unidirectional movement guided by the RG fiber. After rea...

The calcium ion (Ca(2+) ) is an essential second messenger that plays a pivotal role in neurogenesis. In the ventricular zone (VZ) of the neocortex, neural stem cells linger to produce progenitor cells and subsequently neurons and glial cells, which together build up the entire adult brain. The radial glial cells, with their characteristic radial fibers that stretch from the inner ventricular w...

In the present work, the expression patterns of the Wnt antagonists of the Dickkopf (Dkk) family were characterized in the developing mouse forebrain. In situ hybridisation on sections from E12 embryos showed an expression of dkk2 in the thalamus and dkk3 in the cortical hem and thalamus. At later developmental stages (E15.5, E17.5, and P0), little or no expression of dkk1, dkk2, and dkk4 was f...

For L-aspartic acid biosynthesis, high production cells of Escherichia coli mutant B-715 and P1 were immobilized in chitosan gel using a technique developed in our laboratory. The immobilization process reduced initial activity of the intact cells, however, the biocatalyst produced was very stabile for long-term use in multi-repeated batch or continuous processes. Temperature influence on the c...

The ventricular zone (VZ) of the embryonic dorsal telencephalon is a major site for generating cortical projection neurons. The transcription factor Pax6 is expressed in apical progenitors (APs) residing in the VZ in a rostrolateral-high to caudomediallow gradient and its levels are highest at early stages of corticogenesis. Previous studies mainly focused on Pax6 / mice have implicated Pax6 in...

In white-rumped munia, early auditory experience is critical for normal song development. New neurons are constantly added to the telencephalon in juveniles. We examined the potential role of auditory experience in regulating the developmental changes in the song nuclei and the survival of newborn cells. We chose two special days, postnatal day 23 and 37, at which we deafened the birds through ...