Basic fibroblast growth factor promotes subplate cell survival in explant cultures of embryonic mouse cortex

Subplate neurons form a transient layer immediately below the embryonic cor tex and die early in postnatal life. It has been suggested that trophic fac tors, perhaps coming from cortical afferents, maintain the initial survival of these cells. Later withdrawal of these facto rs may cause subplate cell death. We tested whether basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has surviva l-promoting effects on subplate cells in organotypic cultures from the late embryonic mouse cortex. We found that the survival of subplate cells was p romoted by adding bFGF to the cu Itu res. By contrast, there was no effect of bFGF on the survival of overlying cortical neurons. These results indica te that bFGF may have a role in the regulation of subplate cell survival an d death in vivo. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved .