Sd. Styren et al., RAPID EXPRESSION AND TRANSPORT OF EMBRYONIC N-CAM IN DENTATE GYRUS FOLLOWING ENTORHINAL CORTEX LESION - ULTRASTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS, Journal of comparative neurology, 349(3), 1994, pp. 486-492
Neural cell adhesion molecules are known to be important in axon guida
nce and synapse formation in the developing brain. The embryonic form
of neural cell adhesion molecule (eN-CAM) is reexpressed in the outer
molecular layer (OML) of the dentate gyrus following entorhinal cortex
(ERC) lesion. Ultrastructural analysis revealed localization of eN-CA
M to the membrane of granule-cell dendritic membranes and occasionally
axons within the denervated zone. Because eN-CAM is expressed rapidly
(within 2 days) after ERC lesion, we were interested in the temporal
sequence of expression. Denervated hippocampi (12, 15, 24, and 48 hour
s post-ERC lesion) were stained with anti-eN-CAM and processed for imm
unoelectron microscopy. At 12 hours, there was no evidence of staining
for eN-CAM. By 15 hours after lesion, membranes of both dendrites and
axons throughout the molecular layer exhibited moderate eN-CAM staini
ng, and dendritic cytoplasm was heavily labeled. Twenty-four hours fol
lowing lesion, plasma membrane staining of eN-CAM on both axons and de
ndrites had increased in intensity within the OML, whereas membrane eN
-CAM staining was diminished in the inner molecular layer (IML), and t
he intradendritic cytoplasmic staining disappeared. By 48 hours after
lesion, eN-CAM staining had disappeared from the IML but remained inte
nse and widely distributed in the OML. These findings suggest a rapid
transport of de novo synthesized protein. A generalized reaction appea
rs to occur immediately following denervation, and eN-CAM is up-regula
ted in the complete expanse of the dendritic membrane, despite the fac
t that only the OML is denervated. The newly up-regulated eN-CAM is ra
pidly withdrawn or disappears from the membrane in the (nondenervated)
IML over the 24-48 hours postlesion. The brain rapidly responds to in
jury at the cellular level in the denervated zone in preparation for r
enervation by axon sprouting. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.