Rj. Smeyne et al., LOCAL-CONTROL OF GRANULE CELL GENERATION BY CEREBELLAR PURKINJE-CELLS, Molecular and cellular neurosciences, 6(3), 1995, pp. 230-251
Cerebellar Purkinje cells were ablated by the specific expression of d
iphtheria toxin in these cells in transgenic mice. Purkinje cell degen
eration during early postnatal development shows a zonally restricted
pattern which has been exploited in order to look for local secondary
effects. The most obvious early effect is the alignment of gaps in the
Purkinje cell layer with dramatically thinned zones in the overlying
EGL, the germinal layer from which granule cells are generated. Within
these EGL zones in the transgenic mutant, markers that distinguish ma
trix from mantle cells demonstrate a preferential loss of the prolifer
ative cells. Comparison of BrdU incorporation in the mutant vs wild-ty
pe confirms the reduction in proliferation. In the mutant, in situ lab
eling of DNA fragmentation associated with apoptotic cell death shows
abundant labeling of granule cells that have exited the EGL, but not o
f progenitor cells in the EGL. Thus, although a trophic role for Purki
nje cells has been well documented, these observations further suggest
a mitogenic role which can be exerted locally.