Abnormal glial and glycoconjugate dispositions in the somatosensory cortical barrel field of the early postnatal reeler mutant mouse

Review : Glial Boundaries and Scars: Programs for Normal Development and Wound Healing in the Brain

Early studies of glial boundaries, which are composed of immature astrocytes and extracellular matrix mol ecules (which they express), initially offered insight into the partitioning that occurs in the developing nervous system. More recently, however, it has been suggested that similar "boundaries" may have important roles in other processes occurring in the brain, including repair after traumatic brain injury. As more is understood about the expression and function of boundary molecules and glia, their potential importance is becoming apparent in numerous neuropathological conditions, including neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration in Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases as well as in brain neoplasms. Furthermore, before we can hope to fully understand and facilitate regeneration in the compromised brain, our knowledge of the glial boundary, both during development and in the adult, must be more complete. The Neuroscientist 1:142-154, 1995

Thalamocortical Connections Drive Intracortical Activation of Functional Columns in the Mislaminated Reeler Somatosensory Cortex

Neuronal wiring is key to proper neural information processing. Tactile information from the rodent's whiskers reaches the cortex via distinct anatomical pathways. The lemniscal pathway relays whisking and touch information from the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus to layer IV of the primary somatosensory “barrel” cortex. The disorganized neocortex of the reeler mouse is a model system that should severely compromise the ingrowth of thalamocortical axons (TCAs) into the cortex. Moreover, it could disrupt intracortical wiring. We found that neuronal intermingling within the reeler barrel cortex substantially exceeded previous descriptions, leading to the loss of layers. However, viral tracing revealed that TCAs still specifically targeted transgenically labeled spiny layer IV neurons. Slice electrophysiology and optogenetics proved that these connections represent functional synapses. In addition, we assessed intracortical activation via immediate-early-gene expression resulting from a behavioral exploration task. The cellular composition of activated neuronal ensembles suggests extensive similarities in intracolumnar information processing in the wild-type and reeler brains. We conclude that extensive ectopic positioning of neuronal partners can be compensated for by cell-autonomous mechanisms that allow for the establishment of proper connectivity. Thus, genetic neuronal fate seems to be of greater importance for correct cortical wiring than radial neuronal position.

A 3D model of Reelin subrepeat regions predicts Reelin binding to carbohydrates

Reelin is a large molecule of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which regulates neuronal positioning during the early stages of cortical development in vertebrate species. The Reelin molecule can be subdivided into a smaller N-terminal domain, showing homology with F-spondin, and a larger C-terminal region containing 8 EGF-like repeats. The localization of Reelin in the ECM, its large dimensions and the modular organization of its primary structure led us to suppose a structure of its modules similar to domains commonly found in ECM proteins such as Agrin, laminins and thrombospondins. We therefore performed a sequence alignment and molecular modeling analysis to study the three-dimensional fold of the Reelin subrepeat regions. Our analysis produces a tentative model of the core region of the Reelin subrepeat sequences and suggests the presence in this 3D model of structural features common to polysaccharide-binding modules which are often found on proteoglycans of the ECM. These findings provide a conceptual framework for further experiments aimed at testing the functions of the EGF-like repeat regions of Reelin.

Functional thalamocortical synapse reorganization from subplate to layer IV during postnatal development in the reeler-like mutant rat (shaking rat Kawasaki)

Transient synapse formation between thalamic axons and subplate neurons is thought to be important in thalamocortical targeting. Shaking rat Kawasaki (SRK), having reversed cortical layering similarly observed in reeler mouse, provides an interesting model system to test this idea. The spatial and temporal pattern of excitation was investigated using optical recording with voltage-sensitive dyes in thalamocortical slice preparations from SRK. At postnatal day 0 (P0), a strong optical response was elicited within the superplate of the SRK in the cell layer corresponding to subplate in wild-type (WT) rats. By P3, this response rapidly descended into deep cortical layers comprised of layer IV cells, as identified with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine birthdating at embryonic day 17. During the first 3 postnatal days, both the subplate and cortical plate responses were present, but by P7, the subplate response was abolished. Tracing individual axons in SRK revealed that at P0-P3, a large number of thalamocortical axons reach the superplate, and by P7-P10, the ascending axons develop side branches into the lower or middle cortical layers. Synaptic currents were also demonstrated in WT subplate cells and in SRK superficial cortical cells using whole-cell recording. These currents were elicited monosynaptically, because partial AMPA current blockade did not modify the latencies. These results suggest that the general developmental pattern of synapse formation between thalamic axons and subplate (superplate) neurons in WT and SRK is very similar, and individual thalamic arbors in cortex are considerably remodeled during early postnatal development to find layer IV equivalent neurons.

Localization of ApoER2, VLDLR and Dab1 in radial glia: groundwork for a new model of reelin action during cortical development

The reelin signaling pathway regulates laminar positioning of radially migrating neurons during cortical development. It has been suggested that reelin secreted by Cajal-Retzius cells in the marginal zone could provide either a stop or an attractant signal for migratory neurons expressing reelin receptors, but the proposed models fail to explain recent experimental findings. Here we provide evidence that the reelin receptor machinery, including the lipoprotein receptors ApoER2 and VLDLR along with the cytoplasmic adaptor protein Dab1, is located in radial glia precursors whose processes span the entire cortical wall from the ventricular zone to the pial surface. Moreover, in reeler mice, defective in reelin, decreased levels of Dab1 in the ventricular zone correspond to an accumulation of the protein in radial end-feet beneath the pia matter. Our results support that neural stem cells receive a functional reelin signal. They are also consistent with a working model of reelin action, according to which reelin signaling on the newborn neuron-inherited radial process regulates perikaryal translocation and positioning.

Increased excitability and decreased sensitivity to GABA in an animal model of dysplastic cortex

PURPOSE

Cortical dysplasia (CD) is associated with epilepsy in both the pediatric and adult populations. The mechanism underlying seizures with cortical malformations is still poorly understood. To study the physiology of dysplastic cortex, we developed an experimental model of CD.

METHODS

Pregnant rats were given intraperitoneal injections of carmustine (1-3-bis-chloroethyl-nitrosourea; BCNU) on embryonic day 15 (E15). Cortical histology was examined in the resulting pups at P0, P28, and P60. In addition, evoked and spontaneous field potential recordings were obtained in cortical slices from adult control and BCNU-exposed rats. Finally, we used whole-cell recordings to compare physiologic properties of pyramidal neurons and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) responses in control and BCNU-treated animals.

RESULTS

Features characteristic of CD were found in the offspring, including laminar disorganization, cytomegalic neurons, and neuronal heterotopias. Dysplastic cortex also contained abnormal clusters of Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells and disruption of radial glial fibers, as demonstrated with immunohistochemistry. Under conditions of partial GABAA-receptor blockade with 10 microM bicuculline methiodide (BMI), slices of dysplastic cortex demonstrated a significant increase in the number of spontaneous and evoked epileptiform discharges. Individual pyramidal neurons in dysplastic cortex were less sensitive to application of GABA compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

BCNU exposure in utero produces histologic alterations suggestive of CD in rat offspring. Dysplastic cortex from this model demonstrates features of hyperexcitability and decreased neuronal sensitivity to GABA. Such physiologic alterations may underlie the increased epileptogenicity of dysplastic cortex.

Neuroanatomical alterations in the rat nucleus of the solitary tract following early maternal NaCl deprivation and subsequent NaCl repletion

Restricting the NaCl content in the rat maternal and preweaning diet results in a significant and specific reduction (60%) of chorda tympani nerve responsiveness to sodium stimuli in the offspring. Repletion of dietary sodium at any time during postnatal development results in a complete and persistent recovery of chorda tympani nerve function. To learn whether the maturation of postsynaptic cells are also affected by the early dietary manipulation, dendritic morphology, neuronal and glial densities and numbers were studied within the area of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Examination of dendritic morphologies in Golgi-Cox stained neurons revealed that cells with multipolar and fusiform somata in the rostral NTS exhibited longer dendrites following dietary NaCl deprivation during development (deprived rats) than in controls. These changes were generally maintained in rats initially deprived of NaCl and then fed a NaCl-replete diet postweaning ("recovered" rats). In contrast, ovoid neurons were not affected by NaCl deprivation but had increases in the lengths of their dendrites following "recovery." Along with dendritic alterations, the packing density of neurons in the rostral NTS was greater in NaCl-deprived rats than in controls, but was similar to controls following "recovery." Glial packing density also increased following deprivation and remained high in "recovered" rats. These results indicate that activity-dependent events as well as events not related to afferent activity (e.g., hormonal changes) may influence the morphological development of NTS neurons. In addition, significant interactions among primary afferent fibers, central neurons, and glia may direct development within the central gustatory system.

NCAM immunoreactivity during major developmental events in the rat maxillary nerve-whisker system

The distribution of immunoreactivity for neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) has been characterized during the formation of the trigeminal ganglion and during the process of axon outgrowth and target differentiation in the maxillary nerve-whisker system, in rat fetuses of known gestational age. Proliferating cells within the trigeminal placode are NCAM immunoreactive when first observed on embryonic day (E) 10. NCAM immunoreactivity is lost from placode-derived cells as they migrate to the trigeminal ganglion. It re-appears on ganglion cell somata and on centrally and peripherally projecting axons at the time of neurite outgrowth. NCAM-immunoreactive centrally projecting axons reach the developing brain stem two days before peripheral axons encounter the presumptive whisker pad. NCAM immunoreactivity on axons and somata is down regulated after P0, following target contact and whisker follicle differentiation. The presumptive dermis of the whisker pad at E13 appears as a sheet-like condensation of intensely NCAM immunostained cells. Discrete infraorbital row nerves can be identified on E13. These form in the subdermal region which contains only low levels of NCAM immunoreactivity. Condensations of NCAM immunostained mesenchyme replace the dermal sheet on E14 and each condensation is associated with a plexus of infraorbital nerve fibers. The epithelium overlying each condensation grows downward on E15. Focal epithelial regions become NCAM immunoreactive by E18. NCAM immunostaining within epithelial components of the whisker follicle is temporally correlated with contact by NCAM-immunoreactive infraorbital nerve fibers. The site restricted expression of NCAM immunoreactivity during trigeminal embryogenesis is consistent with the idea that NCAM plays an integral role in critical aspects of pattern formation in the maxillary nerve-whisker system, particularly in the organization of placode and non-placode derived trigeminal neuroblasts, axon outgrowth and in the differentiation of the vibrissae follicles.

Nerve growth factor receptor expression in the young and adult rat olfactory system

Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptor (NGFR) are proteins that have a role in the normal development and survival of neurons in the peripheral and central nervous systems. During development, NGF is necessary for outgrowth of axons and establishment of synapses, and NGFR is the transmembrane protein that binds NGF and brings it into the cell. NGF and NGFR expression in the rat olfactory system have been studied previously, and age differences in NGFR are explored further in this study, using immunocytochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy to determine the changes in two different ages: postnatal day 5 and the adult. Dramatic differences were found in the distribution of NGFR immunoreactivity in the olfactory system of each of the two ages studied. Electron microscopy revealed that glial cells were responsible for this immunoreactivity.

Boundaries during normal and abnormal brain development: in vivo and in vitro studies of glia and glycoconjugates

This paper focuses on transient boundaries of glia and glycoconjugates during development of the mouse central nervous system (CNS). Lectin-bound glycoconjugates, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and the J1/tenascin glycoprotein are distributed coextensively within boundaries around developing substructural arrangements (e.g., developing nuclei, and at a finer level, somatosensory cortical "barrels" related to individual facial vibrissae) throughout the CNS during pattern formation events. Electron microscopy has shown that the J1/tenascin glycoprotein, for example, is present in immature astrocytes, on glial and neuronal plasma membranes, and within the pericellular space that could be extracellular matrix (ECM). The findings presented on the expression of this well-characterized ECM molecule suggest that previously described glial and glycoconjugate boundaries reported by our group are in part composed of specific recognition molecules. The J1/tenascin glycoprotein, a chondroitin sulfate-containing antigen termed the 473 proteoglycan, and the adhesion molecule on glia are expressed within discrete boundary regions and associated axonal pathways. There, they may sculpture fine aspects of functional cytoarchitectonic arrangements and help guide axons to specific targets. The expression and developmental regulation of glycoproteins such as J1/tenascin may thus be integral events during pattern formation and synaptogenesis in the CNS. The presence of abnormal glial arrangements and glycoconjugate boundaries in the cortices of the genetic mutant mouse reeler, and findings on plasticity of boundaries following various perturbations, suggest that boundary expression is controlled by both genetic and epigenetic factors. Some future directions for studying developmental boundaries, including use of cultured explants for in vitro "bioassays," are also discussed.

Glial cells form boundaries for developing insect olfactory glomeruli

Like many other first-order olfactory centers, the olfactory lobe of the moth brain is organized into histologically conspicuous synaptic glomeruli delimited by glial cells. These glomeruli in the moth offer an advantageous system in which to study the parcellation of central neuropils during development. In this article, we review the evidence that glial cells play an essential role in the induction of glomeruli by olfactory sensory axons, and we present new evidence that leads us to propose that a major role for glia in the development of glomeruli is to define for ingrowing dendrites of second-order olfactory neurons edges that lead to the formation of these cells' characteristic morphology.

Early development of the representation of the body surface in SI cortex barrel field in neonatal rats as demonstrated with peanut agglutinin binding: evidence for differential development within the rattunculus

Physiological studies have demonstrated a highly organized somatotopic representation of the body surface in SI cortex of rat. This representation is correlated morphologically with the presence of barrel-shaped structures in layer IV. Conventional staining techniques reveal barrels in the latter part of the first postnatal week. Recently, the peroxidase conjugates of lectins, which recognize glycosylated molecules, have been used to study barrel field formation. Con A, for example, has been shown to bind primarily to prospective barrel sides and septa as early as postnatal day 3 (PND-3) in mouse. To date, investigations of SI cortex using the lectin (Arachis hypogaea) peanut agglutinin (PNA) have been confined to the study of the barrel field representation of the face and mystacial vibrissae in the mouse. In the present study we extend these findings to the development of the representation of the entire body surface called the rattunculus. Rats ranging from PND-1 (first 24 h after birth) to PND-12 were anesthetized with Nembutal and perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde and 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.2 M sodium cacodylate buffer. Brains were removed, flattened tangentially, and sectioned on a vibratome at 30-120 microns. Sections were blocked in TRIS-buffered saline (TBS) plus 2% bovine serum albumin and incubated in peanut lectin at 4 degrees C. Following incubation, sections were washed with TBS and processed using peroxidase histochemistry. Lectin binding in the prospective forelimb representation was apparent by PND-5 whereas lectin binding to the prospective face-mystacial vibrissae representation occurred before PND-4. These results suggest that body part representations show individual variations during early pattern formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Critical period-dependent alterations of the transient body image in the rodent cerebral cortex

The present study demonstrates that the boundary patterns of cell surface-associated molecules detected with lectins in the barrel cortex of neonatal rodents are altered, as are the boundary patterns of cortical glia, following perturbation of large vibrissae in the contralateral mystacial face pad. The alterations in the transiently expressed molecular patterns of lectin-receptors provide data that are consistent with the idea that the periphery plays a prominent role in the establishment of functional cytoarchitecture in the developing cortex. The data are also consistent, however, with the notion that factors intrinsic to the cerebrum, such as the immature cortical glial cells, are of considerable importance in this respect and a direct or indirect interaction of thalamocortical afferents with glial cells in the somatosensory cortex of the neonate are indicated. It is suggested therefore that a critical period in early barrel development, a time in which the cortical neuronal architecture is malleable in response to altered afferent input, is directly related to the presence of these cellular and molecular boundaries. The transient barrel boundaries, it is argued, are the morphological and molecular substrates that form the physical basis of the critical period.

A role for glia in the development of organized neuropilar structures

Intercellular interactions are critical in the development of the nervous system. In the olfactory system of a moth, sensory axons induce the formation of large synaptic glomeruli, each surrounded by a glial envelope, in the antennal lobe of the brain. During development, the sensory axons cause changes in glial shape and disposition one day before glomeruli are recognized. Early removal of glial cells prevents the development of glomeruli despite the presence of afferent axons. Thus, the glial cells appear to play a role as intermediaries in the induction of glomeruli by afferent axons. Recent findings in the mammalian somatosensory cortex suggest a similar role for glia there.

Boundaries defined by adhesion molecules during development of the cerebral cortex: the J1/tenascin glycoprotein in the mouse somatosensory cortical barrel field

The distribution of the 200/220 KDa J1 glycoprotein (J1-200/220), within the developing vibrissae-related barrel field of the mouse somatosensory cortex, was studied by immunocytochemistry using a monoclonal antibody. J1-200/220, a member of the L2/HNK-1 family of adhesion molecules, also appears to be the mouse homologue of tenascin. J1/tenascin-positive barrel-like structures are visible in the somatosensory cortex between 24 and 48 hr after birth, with the molecule present in prospective barrel boundaries. Immunoelectronmicroscopy reveals labeling that is associated with glial and neuronal plasma membranes, as well as glial end-feet on blood vessels. A possible major source of J1/tenascin expression at this time is astrocyte precursor cells and radial glia. In the putative astrocyte precursor cells, immunolabeling was observed within organelles including the Golgi apparatus. At P6-7 J1/tenascin is most prevalent within prospective interbarrel septae. J1/tenascin-positive barrel boundaries are barely visible on P9 and not observed on P16. The findings indicate that J1/tenascin represents a major component of previously described "hidden" boundaries that we have seen during development using other methodologies. The expression of adhesion molecule-rich boundaries during the critical stages of barrel field formation indicates roles for such molecules during specific cerebral cortical pattern formation events.

Glial cells develop a laminar pattern before neuronal cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus

The lateral geniculate nucleus, which lies between the retina and the striate cortex in the visual pathway of mammals, is often made up of several distinctive cell layers, or laminae. We have used immunohistochemical methods to localize two glial cell intermediate filament proteins, glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin, and have found that layering of glial cells is evident before neuronal cell layers develop in the lateral geniculate nucleus. The correlation between glial cell lamination and neuronal lamination is consistent with the suggestion that glia are guiding neurons not only during the early postmitotic migratory phase of development but also during the later formation of functional divisions such as layers and nuclei.

Glycoconjugate boundaries during early postnatal development of the neostriatal mosaic

The dispositions of galactosyl-containing glycoconjugates were studied during postnatal development of the caudate putamen in mice. The binding of the lectin peanut agglutinin, which has an affinity for galactosyl B-1,3 N-acetylgalactosamine residues, was compared to acetylcholinesterase staining and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the immature and adult neostriatum. The binding of peanut agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, in sections that were processed for peroxidase histochemistry, was extremely pronounced in the neostriatum through the first postnatal week and constituted ringlike or polygonally shaped structures, which, overall, produced a variegated mosaic. These structures consist of outer rims of dense lectin-associated reaction product surrounding lightly labeled centers. Lectin delineations of the neostriatal mosaic are no longer visible in the second postnatal week. When adjacent sections were processed for lectin binding or acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, the dense lectin binding sites represented borders of acetylcholinesterase-rich and -poor zones. The distribution of dense patches of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers and terminals also coincides with the acetylcholinesterase-rich zones during the same times, and thus the glycoconjugate-delineated boundaries can also be directly compared with the distribution of nigrostriatal dopaminergic projections. The findings presented here represent the first demonstration of a probe that recognizes apparent borders of neostriatal compartments during a limited period of development. They are consistent with previous observations made on transient glycoconjugate "hidden boundaries" during development of other central nervous system structures, including the somatosensory cortical barrel field, and thalamic and brainstem nuclei (Cooper and Steindler, '86a,b; Steindler and Cooper, in press). In those studies, glia were shown to be the major source of glycoconjugate-associated patterns, and thus, glia and glycoconjugates that they synthesize during pattern formation events may be involved in the formation and stabilization of neurochemically distinct components of the neostriatal mosaic.

Glial and glycoconjugate boundaries during postnatal development of the central nervous system

The localization of glycosylated molecules and glia has been studied during early postnatal development in the mouse central nervous system (CNS) using autoradiographic detection of radiolabeled fucose incorporation, and in sections processed either for histochemistry or immunocytochemistry following binding of labeled lectins or an antibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein. Radiolabeled sugar incorporation, lectin binding of glycoconjugates, and glial labeling all reveal borders between nuclei within the diencephalon, midbrain, and brainstem through the first postnatal week. Glycoconjugate and glial boundaries exist throughout the CNS during pattern formation events, and they also are seen in relation to fine aspects of developing functional organization within individual structures (e.g. segmentation associated with the representation of mystacial vibrissae within the brainstem trigeminal complex). The observation that each of the probes employed in this study fails to label boundary organization during later postnatal times suggests that the distribution and chemistry of the glial/glycoconjugate network are dynamic, and they change in accordance with distinct maturational states of the nervous system.