Widespread programmed cell death in proliferative and postmitotic regions of the fetal cerebral cortex

Apoptosis in human embryo development: 1. Cerebral cortex

We investigated the apoptosis at the beginning of human cerebral cortex development, in the 6th week of embryogenesis, Carnegie stages 16 and 17. Attention was focused on the dorsal wall of the telencephalon to the ventricular zone of proliferation and to the postmitotic zone with beginning of neuronal migration. We identified apoptotic cells in tissue sections by propidium iodide staining, TUNEL and immunohistochemistry for Fas(APO-1/CD95). We determined the distribution and the percentage (reported to the propidium iodide stained nuclei) of apoptotic TUNEL-positive and Fas(APO-1/CD95)-positive cells. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in the proliferative zone were 20% in stage 16 and 60% in stage 17. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in the postmitotic zone were 8% in stage16 and 30% in stage 17. CD95-positive apoptotic cells in the proliferative zone were 5% in stage 16 and 2% in stage 17. There were no CD95-positive cells in the postmitotic zone. We evidentiated the presence of the suicide receptor Fas(APO-1/CD95) only on a small population of apoptotic neuroblasts in the proliferative zone. The differences between apoptotic distribution and receptors in early corticogenesis suggest that different apoptotic pathways drive the selection of neuronal populations.

Production of ceramides causes apoptosis during early neural differentiation in vitro

To investigate signal transduction pathways leading to apoptosis during the early phase of neurogenesis, we employed PCC7-Mz1 cells, which cease to proliferate and begin to differentiate into a stable pattern of neurons, astroglial cells, and fibroblasts upon incubation with retinoic acid (RA). As part of lineage determination, a sizable fraction of RA-treated cultures die by apoptosis. Applying natural long-chain C(16)-ceramides as well as membrane-permeable C(2)/C(6)-ceramide analogs caused apoptosis, whereas the biologically nonactive C(2)-dihydroceramide did not. Treating PCC7-Mz1 stem cells with a neutral sphingomyelinase or with the ceramidase inhibitor N-oleoylethanolamine elevated the endogenous ceramide levels and concomitantly induced apoptosis. Addition of RA caused an increase in ceramide levels within 3-5 h, which reached a maximum (up to 3.5-fold of control) between days 1 and 3 of differentiation. Differentiated PCC7-Mz1 cells did not respond with ceramide formation and apoptosis to RA treatment. The acidic sphingomyelinase contributed only weakly and the neutral Mg(2+)-dependent and Mg(2+)-independent sphingomyelinases not at all to the RA-mediated production of ceramides. However, ceramide increase was sensitive to the ceramide synthase inhibitor fumonisin B(1), suggesting a crucial role for the de novo synthesis pathway. Enzymatic assays revealed that ceramide synthase activity remained unaltered, whereas serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), a key enzyme in ceramide synthesis, was activated approximately 2.5-fold by RA treatment. Activation of SPT seemed to be mediated via a post-translational mechanism because levels of the mRNAs coding for the two SPT subunits were unaffected. Expression of marker proteins shows that ceramide regulates apoptosis, rather than differentiation, during early neural differentiation.

Phagocytic clearance of apoptotic neurons by Microglia/Brain macrophages in vitro: involvement of lectin-, integrin-, and phosphatidylserine-mediated recognition

Microglia, the tissue macrophages of the brain, play a crucial role in recognition and phagocytic removal of apoptotic neurons. The microglial receptors for recognition of apoptotic neurons are not yet characterized. Here we established a co-culture model of primary microglia and cerebellar granule neurons to examine the receptor systems involved in recognition/uptake of apoptotic neurons. Treatment with 100 microM S-nitrosocysteine induced apoptosis of cerebellar neurons as indicated by nuclear condensation and phosphatidylserine exposure to the exoplasmic leaflet of the plasma membrane. Microglial cells were added to neurons 2 h after apoptosis induction and co-cultured for 6 h in the presence of ligands that inhibit recognition by binding to respective receptors. Binding/phagocytosis was determined after combined 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole/propidium iodide (for apoptotic/necrotic neurons) and lectin staining (for microglia). Uptake of apoptotic neurons was reduced by N-acetylglucosamine or galactose, suggesting that recognition involves asialoglycoprotein-like lectins. Furthermore, the inhibition of microglial binding/uptake of apoptotic neurons by RGDS peptide suggests a role of microglial vitronectin receptor. As microglia selectively bind lipid vesicles enriched in phosphatidylserine and O-phospho-L-serine interfered with the uptake of apoptotic neurons, an involvement of phosphatidylserine receptor is rather likely. Apoptotic neurons do not release soluble signals that serve to attract or activate microglia. Collectively, these results suggest that apoptotic neurons generate a complex surface signal recognized by different receptor systems on microglia.

Programmed cell death in the developing human telencephalon

Programmed cell death (PCD) in the form of apoptosis is recognized as one of the central events in the development of the central nervous system. To study the time of onset, extent and distribution of PCD in the human telencephalon, embryos and fetuses from 4.5 to 27 gestational weeks (g.w.) were examined using the TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labelling) in situ method. At 4.5 g.w. sparse TUNEL(+) nuclei were observed in the ventricular zone of the neural tube. With the formation of the cortical plate at 7-8 g.w. , TUNEL(+) nuclei were seen in all developmental layers of the cortical anlage, as well as in the subcortical regions such as the ganglionic eminence and the internal capsule. The proliferative zones (the ventricular zone, the subventricular zone and the ganglionic eminence) contained the majority of all apoptotic nuclei observed in each specimen. However, the apoptotic index was highest in the subplate zone and in layer I. Double-labelling experiments suggested that neuronal precursors were the main population of cells undergoing PCD in the first trimester of gestation, whereas glial cells probably start dying around midgestation. The onset of labelling of microglial cells and apoptotic nuclei were synchronous, indicating the involvement of microglia in PCD. In conclusion, two distinct types of PCD were observed during human telencephalic development: embryonic apoptosis, which was synchronous with proliferation and migration of neuronal cells and probably not related to establishment of neuronal circuitry, and fetal apoptosis, which coincided with differentiation and synaptogenesis, and therefore may be related to the development of axonal-target connectivity.

Correlation between caspase-3 activation and three different markers of DNA damage in neonatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia

Caspase-3 has been identified as a key protease that, by targeting a limited number of proteins, can disrupt essential homeostatic processes and initiate an orderly disassembly of cells, including degradation of genomic DNA. We demonstrate the usefulness of an antibody specific for activated caspase-3 in a model of neonatal rat hypoxia-ischemia (Hl) and correlate the spatial and temporal activation of caspase-3 with three different markers of DNA damage and with the loss of a neuronal marker [microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP 2)]. An oligonucleotide hairpin probe (HPP) with one base overhang in the 3' end displayed a close colocalization with caspase-3 activation at 3 h post-Hl, whereas terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) appeared later (24 h post-Hl). A monoclonal antibody against single-stranded DNA appeared to stain an entirely different population of cells, not positive for active caspase-3, HPP, or TUNEL at this time point. After 24 h of reperfusion, however, when cellular injury is extensive, all markers stained a large number of cells with a high degree of colocalization, and all markers delineated regions with loss of MAP 2. We conclude that the HPP shows the best correlation with pathological caspase-3 activation in this model.

Antiapoptotic role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-myocyte enhancer factor 2 transcription factor pathway during neuronal differentiation

Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) is in the MADS (MCM1agamous-deficiens-serum response factor) family of transcription factors. Although MEF2 is known as a myogenic factor, the expression pattern of the MEF2 family of genes (MEF2A-D) in developing brain also suggests a role in neurogenesis. Here we show that transfection with MEF2C, the predominant form in mammalian cerebral cortex, induces a mixed neuronal/myogenic phenotype in undifferentiated P19 precursor cells. During retinoic acid-induced neurogenesis of these cells, a dominant negative form of MEF2 enhances apoptosis but does not affect cell division. The mitogen-activated protein kinase p38alpha activates MEF2C. Dominant negative p38alpha also enhances apoptotic death of differentiating neurons, but these cells can be rescued from apoptosis by coexpression of constitutively active MEF2C. These findings suggest that the p38alpha/MEF2 pathway prevents cell death during neuronal differentiation.

An animal model of adolescent nicotine exposure: effects on gene expression and macromolecular constituents in rat brain regions

Nearly all smokers begin tobacco use in adolescence, and approximately 25% of US teenagers are daily smokers. Prenatal nicotine exposure is known to produce brain damage, to alter synaptic function and to cause behavioral anomalies, but little or no work has been done to determine if the adolescent brain is also vulnerable. We examined the effect of adolescent nicotine exposure on indices of cell damage in male and female rats with an infusion paradigm designed to match the plasma levels found in human smokers or in users of the transdermal nicotine patch. Measurements were made of DNA and protein as well as expression of mRNAs encoding genes involved in differentiation and apoptosis (p53, c-fos) in cerebral cortex, midbrain and hippocampus. Following nicotine treatment from postnatal days 30-47.5, changes in macromolecular constituents indicative of cell loss (reduced DNA) and altered cell size (protein/DNA ratio) were seen across all three brain regions. In addition, expression of p53 showed region- and gender-selective alterations consistent with cell damage; c-fos, which is constitutively overexpressed after gestational nicotine exposure, was unaffected with the adolescent treatment paradigm. Although these measures indicate that the fetal brain is more vulnerable to nicotine than is the adolescent brain, the critical period for nicotine-induced developmental neurotoxicity clearly extends into adolescence. Effects on gene expression and cell number, along with resultant or direct effects on synaptic function, may contribute to increased addictive properties and long-term behavioral deficits.

Mitochondrial and extramitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathways in cerebrocortical neurons

In cultured cerebrocortical neurons, mild excitotoxic insults or staurosporine result in apoptosis. We show here that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated, but not staurosporine-mediated, apoptosis is preceded by depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsi(m)) and ATP loss. Both insults, however, release cytochrome c (Cyt c) into the cytoplasm. What prompts mitochondria to release Cyt c and the mechanism of release are as yet unknown. We examined the effect of inhibition of the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), a putative component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Inhibition of the mitochondrial ANT with bongkrekic acid (BA) prevented NMDA receptor-mediated apoptosis of cerebrocortical neurons. Concomitantly, BA prevented Deltapsi(m) depolarization, promoted recovery of cellular ATP content, and blocked caspase-3 activation. However, in the presence of BA, Cyt c was still released. Because BA prevented NMDA-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis, the presence of Cyt c in the neuronal cytoplasm is not sufficient for the induction of caspase activity or apoptosis. In contrast to these findings, BA was ineffective in preventing staurosporine-induced activation of caspases or apoptosis. Additionally, staurosporine-induced, but not NMDA-induced, apoptosis was associated with activation of caspase-8. These results indicate that, in cerebrocortical cultures, excessive NMDA receptor activation precipitates neuronal apoptosis by means of mitochondrial dysfunction, whereas staurosporine utilizes a distinct pathway.

Cell cycle regulators in neural stem cells and postmitotic neurons

In the mammalian central nervous system, neurons withdraw from the cell cycle immediately after their differentiation from proliferative neuroepithelial cells. Even while postmitotic neurons remain in permanent mitotic quiescence, they express a number of cell cycle regulators required for cell cycle progression. This review focuses on the expression and functions of members of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) family (Rb, p107, p130) and necdin, all of which are growth suppressors that interact with the viral oncoproteins and the E2F family proteins. These molecules are differentially expressed in proliferative neural progenitors and postmitotic neurons in the developing neuroepithelium in vivo and differentiating embryonal carcinoma cells in vitro. During neurogenesis, dysfunction of the Rb family proteins causes impaired neuronal differentiation accompanied by cell death (apoptosis). Thus, the Rb family proteins are essential for both terminal mitosis of neuronal progenitors and survival of nascent neurons. However, the Rb family proteins seem to be dispensable for the maintenance of the postmitotic state of terminally differentiated neurons. Necdin is expressed exclusively in postmitotic cells and may contribute to their permanent mitotic arrest. These cell cycle regulators coordinately act in the generation, survival and demise of postmitotic neurons.

In vivo regulation of cell death by embryonic (pro)insulin and the insulin receptor during early retinal neurogenesis

Programmed cell death is an established developmental process in the nervous system. Whereas the regulation and the developmental role of neuronal cell death have been widely demonstrated, the relevance of cell death during early neurogenesis, the cells affected and the identity of regulatory local growth factors remain poorly characterized. We have previously described specific in vivo patterns of apoptosis during early retinal neurogenesis, and that exogenous insulin acts as survival factor (Diaz, B., Pimentel, B., De Pablo, F. and de la Rosa, E. J. (1999) Eur. J. Neurosci. 11, 1624–1632). Proinsulin mRNA was found to be expressed broadly in the early embryonic chick retina, and decreased later between days 6 and 8 of embryonic development, when there was increased expression of insulin-like growth factor I mRNA, absent or very scarce at earlier stages. Consequently, we studied whether proinsulin and/or insulin ((pro)insulin) action in prevention of cell death has physiological relevance during early neural development. In ovo treatment at day 2 of embryonic development with specific antibodies against (pro)insulin or the insulin receptor induced apoptosis in the neuroretina. The distribution of apoptotic cells two days after the blockade was similar to naturally occurring cell death, as visualized by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling. The apoptosis induced by the insulin receptor blockade preferentially affected to the Islet1/2 positive cells, that is, the differentiated retinal ganglion cells. In parallel, the insulin survival effect on cultured retinas correlated with the activation of Akt to a greater extent than with the activation of MAP kinase. These results suggest that the physiological cell death occurring in early stages of retinal development is regulated by locally produced (pro)insulin through the activation of the Akt survival pathway.

Neurobiology of receptor-mediated lysophospholipid signaling. From the first lysophospholipid receptor to roles in nervous system function and development

Identification of the first lysophospholipid receptor, LPA1/Vzg-1, cloned by way of neurobiological analyses on the embryonic cerebral cortex, has led to the realization and demonstration that there exist multiple, homologous LP receptors, including those encoded by a number of orphan receptor genes known as "Edg," all of which are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. These receptors interact with apparent high affinity for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P or SPP), and are referred to based upon their functional identity as lysophospholipid receptors: LPA and LPB receptors, respectively, with the expectation that additional subgroups will be identified (i.e., LPC, etc.). Here an update is provided on insights gained from analyses of these receptor genes as they relate to the nervous system, particularly the cerebral cortex, and myelinating cells (oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells).

Histogenesis of the cerebral cortex in rat fetuses with a mutation in the Pax-6 gene

The embryonic development of the cerebral cortex was histologically examined in rat homozygotes with a mutation of the Paired box (Pax)-6 gene, rat Small eye (rSey(2)/rSey(2)). Although the cerebral wall was thinner in rSey(2)/rSey(2) than in the wild type at embryonic day 16 (E16), cortical cells of mutants labeled with 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) at E13 migrated as normal, settling in superficial layer at E16. Mitotic activity in the ventricular zone, estimated by immunoreactivity for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), was also retained. On the other hand, after E20 cells were clustered in abnormally expanded ventricular and intermediate zones of the rSey(2)/rSey(2) cortex. Birthdating studies using BrdU revealed that most of these clustered cells were generated between E18 and E20. Most of clustered cells were immunoreactive for PCNA and highly polysialylated NCAM, while immunoreaction for neurofilament and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) was hardly detected in the clusters. Furthermore, apoptosis detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) was rarely seen, suggesting that the clustered cells remain in an undifferentiating state, but not degenerated by the end of the gestational period. Considering that Pax-6 immunoreactivity was exclusively localized in the ventricular zone of the normal rat cortex throughout the fetal period, the present results suggest that Pax-6 is crucial for differentiation and migration of late-generated cortical neurons.

Developmental regulation of induced and programmed cell death in Xenopus embryos

We have analyzed the role of cell death during early Xenopus development and have identified two distinct types of cell death programs during the period between fertilization and the tadpole stage. One is a maternal cell death program that is activated at the onset of gastrulation following damage to the pre-midblastula transition embryo, resulting in the death of non-viable cells. The activation of this cell death program at a specific time during development is a maternally programmed event under the control of a developmental timer set at fertilization, and does not depend on the type of stress applied, on cell cycle progression, or de novo protein synthesis. Subsequently, a second program corresponding to programmed cell death is initiated as part of the normal development of the embryo. Programmed cell death starts at the onset of gastrulation and we have analyzed its spatio-temporal patterns by a whole-mount in situ DNA end labeling technique (the TUNEL protocol).

Cell birth, cell death, cell diversity and DNA breaks: how do they all fit together?

Substantial death of migrating and differentiating neurons occurs within the developing CNS of mice that are deficient in genes required for repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. These findings suggest that large-scale, yet previously unrecognized, double-stranded DNA breaks occur normally in early postmitotic and differentiating neurons. Moreover, they imply that cell death occurs if the breaks are not repaired. The cause and natural function of such breaks remains a mystery; however, their occurrence has significant implications. They might be detected by histological methods that are sensitive to DNA fragmentation and mistakenly interpreted to indicate cell death when no relationship exists. In a broader context, there is now renewed speculation that DNA recombination might be occurring during neuronal development, similar to DNA recombination in developing lymphocytes. If this is true, the target gene(s) of recombination and their significance remain to be determined.

A cell-survival factor (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) alters the in vivo fate of constitutively proliferating subependymal cells in the adult forebrain

The adult mouse brain contains a population of constitutively proliferating subependymal cells that surround the lateral ventricle and are the direct progeny of the neural stem cell. Constitutively proliferating cells divide rapidly; 6 days after labeling, 60% of their progeny undergo cell death, 25% migrate to the olfactory bulbs, and 15% continue to proliferate within the subependyma. We have intraventricularly infused a cell survival factor N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which is known to have survival effects without concomitant proliferative effects on cells in vitro, and examined the resulting fate of cells spared from the normally occurring cell death. NAC infusion for 5 days results in a five-fold increase in the number of retrovirally labeled subependymal cells compared to saline-infused controls. The increase in the number of subependymal cells is directly proportional to the amount of time during which NAC is present and is not due to increased proliferation. While NAC is able to keep all the normally dying progeny alive, the cells spared from death remain confined to the subependyma lining the lateral ventricles and do not migrate to the olfactory bulbs (one normal fate of constitutively proliferating progeny) or into the surrounding brain parenchyma. When animals survive for an additional 6 days following NAC infusion, the number of retrovirally labeled subependymal cells returns to control values, indicating that the continued presence of NAC is necessary for cell survival. These data suggest that preventing cell death is not sufficient to keep all of the progeny of these cells in a proliferative mode.

Survival and mitogenesis of neuroepithelial cells are influenced by noradrenergic but not cholinergic innervation in cultured embryonic rat neopallium

alpha-Adrenoreceptors are present in the ventricular (VZ) and subventricular (SVZ) zones of the mammalian embryonic forebrain, and contribute towards cell cycle controls in the germinal neuroepithelium [Pabbathi et al., Brain Res. 760 (1997) 22-33.]. Since noradrenaline-containing fibres from the locus coeruleus (LC) and other brainstem nuclei innervate many parts of the CNS from an early stage of embryogenesis, we have used heterochronic cocultures to investigate whether noradrenergic innervation may be the source of trophic support. Dorsal neopallium from E13 rat embryo was cultured in proximity to E15 rostral pons (RP), enabling rapid innervation of the neuroepithelium by differentiated noradrenergic neurons of the LC. The projection of interconnecting fibres into germinal areas of the cortex was established in vitro by retrograde tracing and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) immunocytochemistry. When functional innervation was prevented by transection of axons connecting the explants, the number of apoptotic (TUNEL-positive) cells in the neopallium was increased. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) double-labelling confirmed that germinal cells were amongst those which underwent apoptosis. When cortical explants were innervated by a source of non-monoaminergic (cholinergic) axons from the E18 basal forebrain diagonal band/septum complex (DS), numbers of apoptotic cells were comparable to those in non-innervated cultures. alpha1 and alpha2 adrenoreceptor antagonists included in the medium of cortical cocultures innervated by noradrenergic axons reversed the survival-promoting effect of innervation. Blockade of alpha1 but not of alpha2 receptors also reduced the numbers of S-phase nuclei in the cortex. The results provide evidence that local delivery of neurotransmitter from embryonic noradrenergic axons terminating in the neocortex can regulate survival and proliferation of neuroepithelial cells.

Apoptosis and the nervous system

Apoptosis is now recognized as a normal feature in the development of the nervous system and may also play a role in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. This phenomenon has been investigated intensively during the last 6-7 years, and the progress made in this field is reviewed here. Besides a few in vivo studies, a variety of neuronal preparations from various parts of the brain, the majority of which were primary cultures, and some cell lines have been investigated. Several apoptosis-inducing agents have been identified, and these include lack of neurotrophic support, neurotransmitters, neurotoxicants, modulators of protein phosphorylation and calcium homeostasis, DNA-damaging agents, oxidative stress, nitric oxide, and ceramides. The precise signaling cascade is not well established, and there are lacunae in many suggested pathways. However, it appears certain that the Bcl family of proteins is involved in the apoptotic pathway, and these proteins in turn affect the processing of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE)/caspases. The available evidence suggests that there may be several apoptotic pathways that may depend on the cell type and the inducing agent, and most of the pathways may converge at the ICE/caspases step.

Developmental changes in distribution of death-associated protein kinase mRNAs

Death-associated protein kinase (DAP-kinase) is Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine kinase that contains ankyrin repeats and the death domain. It has been isolated as a positive mediator of interferon-gamma-induced apoptotic cell death of HeLa cells. In order to reveal the physiological role of DAP-kinase, the tissue distribution and developmental changes in mRNA expression of DAP-kinase were investigated by Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses. DAP-kinase mRNA was predominantly expressed in brain and lung. In brain, DAP-kinase mRNA had already appeared at embryonic day 13 (E13) and was, thereafter, detected throughout the entire embryonic period. High levels of expression were detected in proliferative and postmitotic regions within cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellar Purkinje cells. These findings suggest that DAP-kinase may play an important role in neurogenesis where a physiological type of cell death takes place. The overall expression of DAP-kinase mRNA in the brain gradually declined at postnatal stages, and the expression became restricted to hippocampus, in which different expression patterns were observed among rostral, central, and caudal coronal sections, suggesting that DAP-kinase may be implicated in some neuronal functions. Furthermore, it was found that the expression of DAP-kinase mRNA was increased prior to a certain cell death induced by transient forebrain ischemia, indicating a possible relationship between DAP-kinase and neuronal cell death.

Selective sensitivity of early postmitotic retinal cells to apoptosis induced by inhibition of protein synthesis

In previous work we showed that apoptosis in retinal tissue from developing rats can be induced by inhibition of protein synthesis (Rehen et al. 1996, Development, 122, 1439-1448). Here we show that recent postmitotic cells are the cells sensitive to apoptosis triggered by blockade of protein synthesis. To label all proliferating cells in the retina, a series of injections of the nucleotide analogue, bromo-deoxy-uridine (BrdU, 60 mg/kg b.w.), was given in rat pups. Then, explants of the retina were incubated in vitro with the inhibitor of protein synthesis anisomycin (1.0-3.2 microg/mL) for 1 day to induce apoptosis. Detection of apoptotic bodies under differential interference contrast microscopy was combined with immunocytochemistry for BrdU, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) or for various markers of retinal cell differentiation. Despite the large number of BrdU- and PCNA-labelled cells in the tissue, the vast majority of the cells that underwent apoptosis were postmitotic cells which have left the mitotic cycle 3-4 days before. However, these cells were not labelled with antibodies to calretinin, calbindin, rhodopsin or to a Muller glial cell marker, suggesting that these are early postmitotic neurons. We suggest that during migration and initial differentiation, the apoptotic machinery is blocked by suppressor proteins, thus allowing recent postmitotic cells to find their final positions and differentiate while protected from apoptosis.

Astroglia inhibit the proliferation of neocortical cells and prevent the generation of small GABAergic neurons in vitro

We quantitatively studied the dynamics of rat neocortical precursor proliferation in vitro, and additionally examined the effects of neuron-glia interactions on the proliferation and differentiation of neurons, and particularly of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-containing cells. In cultures grown on glia-free substrate, cellular proliferation was detected at least until the end of the second week in vitro, but most neurons which expressed detectable amounts of microtubule-associated protein at 12 days in vitro were generated early during the first week. Further double-labelling experiments, combining 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine with GABA or beta-tubulin III immunohistochemistry, provided direct evidence that neuronal proliferation continued through the second week in vitro, and that a population of small GABAergic neurons was generated between 3 and 12 days in vitro. Culturing cells on a glial substrate significantly reduced the generation of small GABAergic cells and strongly inhibited the total cell proliferation. Inhibition also occurred if astrocytes were added to the culture after 6 days in vitro, but was significantly decreased if cells were grown on a fixed glial substrate, suggesting that the effect might be at least partially mediated by active interactions between neurons and glia. In conclusion, our results show that the sustained proliferation of precursor cells in neocortical cultures is necessary for the differentiation of small GABAergic neurons, and that mature astroglia effectively inhibit the proliferation of neocortical precursors thereby affecting the appearance of a population of GABAergic cells.

Regulation and deregulation of E2F1 in postmitotic neurons differentiated from embryonal carcinoma P19 cells

Neurons withdraw from the cell cycle immediately after differentiation from their proliferative precursors. E2F1, a principal transcription factor that promotes cell cycle progression, must be silenced in neurons. We investigated the E2F1 system in postmitotic neurons derived from murine embryonal carcinoma P19 cells. P19 cells highly expressed the E2F1 gene during neural differentiation, and enriched neurons contained a high abundance of E2F1 mRNA. In contrast, postmitotic neurons possessed extremely low levels of E2F1 protein as assessed by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay and Western blotting. A recombinant E2F1 fusion protein was ubiquitinated in vitro when incubated with neuronal lysates. In addition, treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 increased the endogenous level of E2F1 protein in neurons. These results suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway contributes, at least in part, to the downregulation of E2F1 protein in postmitotic neurons. Adenovirus-mediated transfer of E2F1 cDNA into postmitotic neurons induced both bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and chromatin condensation, suggesting that deregulated E2F1 expression causes both aberrant S-phase entry and apoptosis of postmitotic neurons. Thus, downregulation of endogenous E2F1 protein in postmitotic neurons may be indispensable for the prevention of their reentry into the cell cycle.

Developmentally-regulated expression of mNapor encoding an apoptosis-induced ELAV-type RNA binding protein

Proteins with RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) participate in many aspects of RNA metabolism, and some of them are required for the accomplishment of normal development. The neuroblastoma apoptosis-related RNA binding protein (NAPOR) is an ELAV-type RNA-binding protein with three characteristic RNP2/RNP1-type RRMs, which we identified as a gene induced during apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells. Here we isolated and characterized the cDNA for mNapor, the mouse homolog of NAPOR. The mNapor encodes mRNA sharing striking homology with that of NAPOR, not only in its open reading frame (98.5%) but also in the 3'-untranslated region (80.1%), and is mapped to chromosome 2 A2-A3, a region syntenic to the human NAPOR locus. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that the expression pattern of mNapor is spatially and temporally coincident with the occurrence of programmed cell death, suggesting its involvement in the development of the central nervous system in which apoptosis plays a crucial role.

Cell proliferation and death: morphological evidence during corticogenesis in the developing human brain

Cell proliferation and death account for the refinement of the cell number during corticogenesis. These processes have been investigated in the human developing telencephalon (12th-24th week of gestation) and cerebellum (16th-24th week). Only foetal brains, which had normal neuropathological examination, were utilised. Cell proliferation was analysed by classical histology and PCNA immunohistochemistry; cell death was investigated by the TUNEL method, which makes evident the different stages of apoptosis. High figures of mitotic nuclei were seen in the ventricular zone at the 12th-15th week of gestation, before sharply declining. The decrease of the proliferating cells occurs synchronously in both frontal and occipital germinal zones. Conversely, a slow increase of the number of the mitotic cells was observed in the more dorsal regions, probably due to the presence of proliferating glial elements. The amount of apoptotic nuclei was always remarkably low in the transient compartments of the wall of the telencephalon. The moderate number of apoptotic cells suggests that cellular mechanisms other than apoptosis are involved in the dissolution of the ventricular zone. Neither proliferating nor apoptotic cells were seen in the cortical plate. The topography of cell proliferation and death in the developing cerebellum did not account for a mutual relationship between the two events. The prolonged duration of the cell-cycle in the human developing CNS may explain its increased vulnerability to various DNA-damaging conditions, which can lead to either destructive lesions or malformations.

A growing family of receptor genes for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and other lysophospholipids (LPs)

A missing component in the experimental analysis of cell signaling by extracellular lysophospholipids such as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has been cloned receptors. Through studies on the developing brain, the first such receptor gene (referred to as vzg-1) was identified, representing a member of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) super family (1). Here we review the neurobiological approach that led to both its cloning and identification as a receptor for LPA, along with related expression data. Summarized sequence and genomic structure analyses indicate that this first, functionally identified receptor is encoded by a member of a growing gene family that divides into at least two subgroups: genes most homologous to the high-affinity LPA receptor encoded by vzg-1, and those more homologous to an orphan receptor gene edg-1 that has recently been identified as a S1P receptor. A provisional nomenclature is proposed, based on published functional ligand actions, amino acid composition and genomic structure whereby the receptors encoded by these genes are referred to as lysophospholipid (LP) receptors, with subgroups distinguished by letter and number subscripts (e.g., LPA1 for Vzg-1, and LPB1 for Edg-1). Presented expression data support the recently published work indicating that members of the LPB1 subgroup are receptors for the structurally-related molecule, S1P. The availability of cloned LP receptors will enhance the analysis of the many documented LP effects, while their prominent expression in the nervous system indicates significant but as yet unknown roles in development, normal function, and neuropathology.

Apoptosis in tracheoesophageal embryogenesis in rat embryos with or without adriamycin treatment

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine whether apoptosis participates in separation of the foregut into trachea and esophagus and to evaluate the potential role of apoptosis in the development of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA + TEF) induced by Adriamycin.

METHODS

Timed-pregnant rats were injected daily with either saline or Adriamycin (2 mg/kg) intraperitoneally on days 6 to 9 of gestation. Paraffin sections were prepared from 31 experimental and 31 control embryos at days 12 and 13 of gestation. Condensed nuclei were identified on the paraffin sections using the TUNEL method. Apoptosis was quantified by counting the positively stained cell nuclei in transverse sections of embryos.

RESULTS

In day 12 control embryos the number of apoptotic nuclei in both lateral ridges of the foregut was high (15.67 +/- 1.38) but relatively low (4.17 +/- 0.80) in Adriamycin-treated embryos (P< .0001). In day 13 Adriamycin-treated embryos, the number of apoptotic nuclei in the region of the upper esophageal pouch was extremely high (23.78.5 +/- 2.20) compared with no detectable apoptotic nuclei in the control embryos.

CONCLUSIONS

Apoptosis is required for normal tracheoesophageal embryogenesis and may be an important mechanism to be involved in the embryological development of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula.

Modulation of early but not later stages of programmed cell death in embryonic avian spinal cord by sonic hedgehog

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted glycoprotein expressed by the notochord and floor plate that is involved in the induction and specification of ventral phenotypes in the vertebrate neural tube. Recently, Shh has also been shown to promote the survival of cultured rat embryo ventral brain and spinal cord cells. We have examined whether Shh can promote the survival of chick embryo neurons in vivo or in vitro. In the chick, Shh is expressed in notochord, floor plate, and ventral neural tube/spinal cord at several stages at which programmed cell death (PCD) occurs. However, the administration of exogenous Shh to embryos in vivo or to motoneuron cultures at these stages failed to promote the survival of several different neuronal populations, including spinal motoneurons, spinal interneurons, sympathetic preganglionic neurons, sensory neurons, and neuronal precursor cells. Rather, at the earliest stage of PCD examined here (embryonic day 3) Shh selectively induced the death of ventral neuronal precursors and floor-plate cells, resulting in a net loss of cells in the neural tube. Altered concentrations of Shh induce aberrant phenotypes that are removed by PCD. Accordingly, normal PCD in the early neural tube may play a role in dorsal-ventral patterning.

Apoptotic cell death of proliferating neuroepithelial cells in the embryonic retina is prevented by insulin

The role of programmed cell death is well established for connecting neurons. Conversely, much less is known about apoptosis affecting proliferating neuroepithelial cells. Chick retina from day 4 to day 6 of embryonic development (E), essentially proliferative, presented a defined distribution of apoptotic cells during normal in vivo development, as visualized by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL). Insulin, expressed in the early chick embryonic retina as proinsulin, attenuated apoptosis in growth factor-deprived organotypic culture of E5 retina. This effect was demonstrated both by TUNEL and by staining of pyknotic nuclei, as well as by release of nucleosomes. Application of a 1 h [methyl-3H]thymidine pulse in ovo at E5, followed by organotypic culture in the presence or absence of insulin, showed that this factor alone decreased the degradation of labelled DNA to nucleosomes by 40%, as well as the proportion of labelled pyknotic nuclei. Both features are a consequence of apoptosis affecting neuroepithelial cells, which were in S-phase or shortly after. In addition, when the E5 embryos were maintained in ovo after the application of [methyl-3H]thymidine, 70% of the apoptotic retinal cells were labelled, indicating the in vivo prevalence of cell death among actively proliferating neuroepithelial cells. Apoptotic cell death is thus temporally and spatially regulated during proliferative stages of retinal neurogenesis, and embryonic proinsulin is presumably an endogenous protective factor.

Cerebral ischemia produces laddered DNA fragments distinct from cardiac ischemia and archetypal apoptosis

The electrophoretic pattern of laddered DNA fragments which has been observed after cerebral ischemia is considered to indicate that neurons are dying by apoptosis. Herein the authors directly demonstrate using ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction methods that 99% of the DNA fragments produced after either global or focal ischemia in adult rats, or produced after hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats, have staggered ends with a 3' recess of approximately 8 to 10 nucleotides. This is in contrast to archetypal apoptosis in which the DNA fragments are blunt ended as seen during developmental programmed cell death in dying cortical neurons, neuroblastoma, or thymic lymphocytes. It is not simply ischemia that results in staggered ends in DNA fragments because ischemic myocardium is similar to archetypal apoptosis with a vast majority of blunt-ended fragments. It is concluded that the endonucleases that produce this staggered fragmentation of the DNA backbone in ischemic brain must be different than those of classic or type I apoptosis.

Schwann cell survival mediated by the signaling phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid with properties of an extracellular growth factor for many cell lines, including those derived from neuroblastomas. However, the relevance of LPA signaling to the normal, developing nervous system is unknown, in part reflecting the previous unavailability of cloned receptor genes. Recent studies of the first such gene, encoding the G protein-coupled receptor LPA1/VZG-1 (lysophospholipid receptor A1/ventricular zone gene-1), revealed a major locus of expression in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells (SCs) during development, suggesting an influence of LPA on these myelinating cells. Here we report that LPA (>/=10 nM) is a potent survival factor for cultured neonatal SCs, with survival activity equaling the maximal effect of neuregulin, the major peptide SC survival factor. LPA activates a pharmacologically defined signaling pathway in SCs, involving Gi and phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Moreover, LPA's effect depends on Akt, a downstream kinase that can mediate phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent survival, as demonstrated by both Western blot and transfection analyses. Overexpression of functional epitope-tagged LPA1/VZG-1 protein decreases SC apoptosis in response to serum withdrawal. These data demonstrate a role for extracellular LPA and its receptor LPA1/VZG-1 in SC survival and, more broadly, implicate G protein-coupled receptor-mediated lysophospholipid signaling as a significant mechanism in neural development.

Developmental neurobiology: Alternative ends for a familiar story?

Somatic DNA recombination is essential for production of functional antigen receptor genes of T and B lymphocytes, but it is thought to be unique to the immune system. Recent studies have now shown that recombination-related genes are also necessary for normal neuronal development.

Environmental enrichment inhibits spontaneous apoptosis, prevents seizures and is neuroprotective

The mammalian brain has a high degree of plasticity, with dentate granule cell neurogenesis and glial proliferation stimulated by an enriched environment combining both complex inanimate and social stimulation. Moreover, rodents exposed to an enriched environment both before and after a cerebral insult show improved cognitive performance. One of the most robust associations of environmental enrichment is improved learning and memory in the Morris water maze, a spatial task that mainly involves the hippocampus. Furthermore, clinical evidence showing an association between higher educational attainment and reduced risk of Alzheimer and Parkinson-related dementia indicates that a stimulating environment has positive effects on cerebral health that may provide some resilience to cerebral insults. Here we show that in addition to its effects on neurogenesis, an enriched environment reduces spontaneous apoptotic cell death in the rat hippocampus by 45%. Moreover, these environmental conditions protect against kainate-induced seizures and excitotoxic injury. The enriched environment induces expression of glial-derived neurotrophic factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor and increases phosphorylation of the transcription factor cyclic-AMP response element binding protein, indicating that the influence of the environment on spontaneous apoptosis and cerebral resistance to insults may be mediated through transcription factor activation and induction of growth factor expression.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-deficient mice are protected from streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Streptozotocin (STZ) selectively destroys insulin-producing beta islet cells of the pancreas providing a model of type I diabetes. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a nuclear enzyme whose overactivation by DNA strand breaks depletes its substrate NAD+ and then ATP, leading to cellular death from energy depletion. We demonstrate DNA damage and a major activation of PARP in pancreatic islets of STZ-treated mice. These mice display a 500% increase in blood glucose and major pancreatic islet damage. In mice with homozygous targeted deletion of PARP (PARP -/-), blood glucose and pancreatic islet structure are normal, indicating virtually total protection from STZ diabetes. Partial protection occurs in PARP +/- animals. Thus, PARP activation may participate in the pathophysiology of type I diabetes, for which PARP inhibitors might afford therapeutic benefit.

Changes in cerebral cortex size are governed by fibroblast growth factor during embryogenesis

We show that fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and FGF receptors are transiently expressed by cells of the pseudostratified ventricular epithelium (PVE) during early neurogenesis. A single microinjection of FGF2 into cerebral ventricles of rat embryos at E15.5 increased the volume and total number of neurons in the adult cerebral cortex by 18% and 87%, respectively. Microinjection of FGF2 by the end of neurogenesis, at E20.5, selectively increased the number of glia. Mice lacking the FGF2 gene had fewer cortical neurons and glia at maturity. BrdU studies in FGF2-microinjected and FGF2-null animals suggested that FGF2 increases the proportion of dividing cells in the PVE without affecting the cell-cycle length. Thus, FGF2 increases the number of rounds of division of cortical progenitors.

Apoptosis in developing retinal tissue

The mechanisms of apoptosis are strongly dependent on cell-cell interactions typical of organized tissues. Experimental studies of apoptosis using a histotypical preparation of retinal explants are reported in the present article. We found that various characteristics of apoptosis are selectively associated with retinal cell death depending on cell type, stage of maturation, and means of induction of apoptosis. Among these were: (1) the requirements of protein synthesis; (2) the role of cAMP; (3) the expression of certain apoptosis-associated proteins; and (4) the sensitivity to excitotoxicity, modulation of protein phosphatases and calcium mobilization. Dividing cells undergo apoptosis in response to several inducers in specific phases of the cell cycle, and in distinct regions within their pathway of interkinetic nuclear migration. Recent post-mitotic cells are selectively sensitive to apoptosis induced by blockade of protein synthesis, while both proliferating and differentiated cells are more resistant. We also studied the association of several proteins, some of which play critical roles in the cell cycle, with both differentiation and apoptosis in the retinal tissue. Detection of cell cycle markers did not support the hypothesis that retinal cells re-enter the cell cycle on their pathway to apoptosis, although some proteins associated with cell proliferation re-appeared in degenerating cells. The transcription factors c-Jun, c-Fos and c-Myc were found associated with apoptosis in retinal cells, but their sub-cellular location in apoptotic bodies is not consistent with their canonical functions in the control of gene expression. The bifunctional redox factor/AP endonuclease Ref-1 and the transcription factor Max are associated with progressive cell differentiation, and both are down-regulated during cell death in the retina. The data suggest that Ref-1 and Max may normally function as negative modulators of retinal apoptosis. The results indicate that nuclear exclusion of transcription factors and other important control proteins is a hallmark of retinal apoptosis. Histotypical explants may be a choice preparation for the experimental analysis of the mechanisms of apoptosis, in the context both of cell-cell interactions and of the dynamic behavior of developing cells within the organized retinal tissue.

Cerebral cortical specification by early potential restriction of progenitor cells and later phenotype control of postmitotic neurons

Neurons expressing latexin, a carboxypeptidase A inhibitor, are restricted to lateral areas in the cerebral cortex of adult and early postnatal rats. To address the precise timing of cortical regional specification at the cellular level, we monitored latexin expression in developing cortical cells under specific conditions in vitro. Individual cortical cells were labeled with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine in vivo, dissociated and exposed to a defined new environment in a monolayer or a reaggregated-cell culture system. While a substantial fraction of early progenitor cells derived from the lateral cerebral wall became latexin-expressing neurons in both systems, far fewer progenitors from dorsal cortex did so under the same environmental conditions, indicating early establishment of cortical regional specification at the progenitor cell level. Furthermore, it was shown that the probability for postmitotic cells within lateral cortex to become latexin-expressing neurons was influenced by temporally regulated regional environmental signals. These findings suggest that developing cortical cells are progressively specified for a regional molecular phenotype during both their proliferative and postmitotic periods.

Spatiotemporal distribution of dying neurons during early mouse development

Apoptosis is a critical cellular event during several stages of neuronal development. Recently, we have shown that biotinylated annexin V detects apoptosis in vivo in various cell lineages of a wide range of species by binding to phosphatidylserines that are exposed at the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. In the present study, we tested the specificity by which annexin V binds apoptotic neurons, and subsequently investigated developmental cell death in the central and peripheral nervous system of early mouse embryos at both the cellular and histological level, and compared the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic neurons with that of apoptotic mesodermal cells. Our data indicate: (i) that biotinylated annexin V can be used as a sensitive marker that detects apoptotic neurons, including their extensions at an early stage during development; (ii) that apoptosis plays an important part during early morphogenesis of the central nervous system, and during early quantitative matching of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophic factor 3 responsive postmitotic large clear neurons in the peripheral ganglia with their projection areas; and (iii) that apoptotic neurons are removed by a process that differs from classical phagocytosis of non-neuronal tissues.

Persistent c-fos induction by nicotine in developing rat brain regions: interaction with hypoxia

Prenatal nicotine exposure evokes postnatal CNS cell loss. We administered nicotine to pregnant rats throughout gestation and neonatal brains were examined for expression of c-fos, a nuclear transcription factor involved in differentiation and cell death. The nicotine group showed persistent c-fos overexpression in the forebrain long after termination of exposure; in the brainstem, overexpression was apparent both after birth and at the end of the second postnatal week. In contrast to these effects, postnatal administration on d 1-4 caused persistent c-fos only at systemically toxic doses and treatment at subsequent ages did not cause induction at all. We also determined whether prenatal nicotine exposure would sensitize the brain to a subsequent postnatal episode of hypoxia comparable to that experienced during parturition. Hypoxia evoked acute stimulation of c-fos with a regional selectivity and ontogenetic profile differing from those of prenatal nicotine and this acute response was reduced by prenatal nicotine treatment. Persistent c-fos elevation is a harbinger of cell death, a relationship that provides an underlying mechanism for eventual cell deficits that appear after fetal nicotine exposure. Nicotine's interference with the acute c-fos stimulation caused by a subsequent episode of hypoxia may indicate a further compromise of cellular repair mechanisms.

Neuronal death in the central nervous system during development

About half the neurons in the brain die at the time when their connections are being formed. This neuronal death is regulated by anterograde and retrograde signals that reflect both electrical activity and the uptake of trophic factors. Our recent data on the isthmo-optic projection indicate that there are in fact two different retrograde signals: a slow-acting survival signal mediated by a neurotrophin, and a fast-acting death signal mediated by calcium entry due to electrical activity in the presynaptic terminals. The developmental roles of the cell death are not well understood, but they appear to include the elimination of aberrant connections. The intracellular mechanisms of the cell death may not always correspond to the apoptotic ones so thoroughly investigated in vitro, because only one of the three morphological types occurring regularly in vivo resembles apoptosis. However, our experiments on retinal ganglion cells indicate that several apoptotic mechanisms apply in this particular in vivo situation: these include an involvement of oxygenated free radicals and glutathione, cell cycle-related events, and probably the synthesis of proteins promoting neuroprotection or cell death.

Detection of activated caspase-3 (CPP32) in the vertebrate nervous system during development by a cleavage site-directed antiserum

We previously demonstrated that Caspase-3 is highly expressed in dorsal root ganglia and trigeminal ganglia of mouse embryos [T. Mukasa, K. Urase, Y.M. Momoi, I. Kimura, T. Momoi, Specific expression of CPP32 in sensory neurons of mouse embryos and activation of CPP32 in the apoptosis induced by a withdrawal of NGF, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 231 (1997) 770-774.]. Since, however, Caspases are processed into active form during apoptosis, it is difficult to examine the involvement of activated Caspases in naturally occurring cell death during development by immunohistochemical staining or in situ hybridization method. We prepared a cleavage site-directed antiserum against Caspase-3 (anti-p20/17). This antiserum reacted with fragment (p20/17) of Caspase-3, but not proCaspase-3 (p32), proCaspase-7 (p34) and its cleaved fragment (p24). We examined the relationship between the activation of Caspase-3 and the appearance of the naturally occurring apoptotic cells in the nervous system during development. In the trigeminal ganglia and dorsal root ganglia, the expression of Caspase-3 mRNA was maximal before the appearance of p20/17-positive cells and apoptotic cells. In the mouse brain, many p20/17-positive cells and apoptotic cells were observed in the neuroepithelium in the early developmental stages, but very few p20/17-positive cells were detected in postmitotic neurons in the cerebral cortex although Caspase-3 mRNA was expressed highly. Caspase-3 is activated mainly during apoptosis of neuroepithelial cells in the early developmental stages but not of mature neurons at postnatal stages.

Programmed cell death during Xenopus development: a spatio-temporal analysis

Programmed cell death (PCD) is an integral part of many developmental processes. In vertebrates little is yet known on the patterns of PCD and its role during the early phases of development, when embryonic tissue layers migrate and pattern formation takes place. We describe the spatio-temporal patterns of cell death during early Xenopus development, from fertilization to the tadpole stage (stage 35/36). Cell death was analyzed by a whole-mount in situ DNA end-labeling technique (the TUNEL protocol), as well as by serial sections of paraffin-embedded TUNEL-stained embryos. The first cell death was detected during gastrulation, and as development progressed followed highly dynamic and reproducible patterns, strongly suggesting it is an important component of development at these stages. The detection of PCD during neural induction, neural plate patterning, and later during the development of the nervous system highlights the role of PCD throughout neurogenesis. Additionally, high levels of cell death were detected in the developing tail and sensory organs. This is the first detailed description of PCD throughout early development of a vertebrate, and provides the basis for further studies on its role in the patterning and morphogenesis of the embryo.

Apaf1 is required for mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis and brain development

Apoptosis is essential for the precise regulation of cellular homeostasis and development. The role in vivo of Apaf1, a mammalian homolog of C. elegans CED-4, was investigated in gene-targeted Apaf1-/- mice. Apaf1-deficient mice exhibited reduced apoptosis in the brain and striking craniofacial abnormalities with hyperproliferation of neuronal cells. Apaf1-deficient cells were resistant to a variety of apoptotic stimuli, and the processing of Caspases 2, 3, and 8 was impaired. However, both Apaf1-/- thymocytes and activated T lymphocytes were sensitive to Fas-induced killing, showing that Fas-mediated apoptosis in these cells is independent of Apaf1. These data indicate that Apaf1 plays a central role in the common events of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in most death pathways and that this role is critical for normal development.

Widespread programmed cell death in early developing chick optic tectum

We demonstrate that widespread programmed cell death exists in proliferative regions of chicken optic tectum during early development using a sensitive fluorescent ISEL method (FISEL+) and antibody staining for an antigen in dying cells. Several developmental stages from embryonic day (E) 3 to E18 were examined. FISEL+-positive cells were rare before E7 and between E9 to E12. However, massive labeling was observed in the ventricular zone (VZ) between stages E7.5 and E8. At this time extensive cell migration is underway and many labeled cells were found not only in the VZ (premigratory cells) but also in the intermediate zone and tectal plate (migratory cells). Many labeled cells were also found in upper tectal laminae at late developmental stages (E15 and E18).