GFAPδ expression in glia of the developmental and adolescent mouse brain

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52659. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052659. Epub 2012 Dec 21.

Abstract

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the major intermediate filament (IF) protein in astrocytes. In the human brain, GFAP isoforms have unique expression patterns, which indicate that they play distinct functional roles. One isoform, GFAPδ, is expressed by proliferative radial glia in the developing human brain. In the adult human, GFAPδ is a marker for neural stem cells. However, it is unknown whether GFAPδ marks the same population of radial glia and astrocytes in the developing mouse brain as it does in the developing human brain. This study characterizes the expression pattern of GFAPδ throughout mouse embryogenesis and into adolescence. Gfapδ transcripts are expressed from E12, but immunohistochemistry shows GFAPδ staining only from E18. This finding suggests a translational uncoupling. GFAPδ expression increases from E18 to P5 and then decreases until its expression plateaus around P25. During development, GFAPδ is expressed by radial glia, as denoted by the co-expression of markers like vimentin and nestin. GFAPδ is also expressed in other astrocytic populations during development. A similar pattern is observed in the adolescent mouse, where GFAPδ marks both neural stem cells and mature astrocytes. Interestingly, the Gfapδ/Gfapα transcript ratio remains stable throughout development as well as in primary astrocyte and neurosphere cultures. These data suggest that all astroglia cells in the developing and adolescent mouse brain express GFAPδ, regardless of their neurogenic capabilities. GFAPδ may be an integral component of all mouse astrocytes, but it is not a specific neural stem cell marker in mice as it is in humans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / embryology
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / genetics
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / metabolism*
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Neuroglia / metabolism*
  • Protein Isoforms / genetics
  • Protein Isoforms / metabolism
  • Protein Transport
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism

Substances

  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
  • Protein Isoforms
  • RNA, Messenger

Grants and funding

This project is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; VICI grant to E.M.H. [865.09.003]; URL: http://www.nwo.nl/) and NANONET COST [BM1002]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.