Little is known about regionally specific signals that control the number of neuronal progenitor cells in vivo. We have previously shown that the germline mutation of the basic fibroblast growth factor (Fgf2) gene results in a reduction in the number of cortical neurons in the adult. We show here that Fgf2 is expressed in the pseudostratified ventricular epithelium (PVE) in a dorsoventral gradient and that Fgf2 and its receptor, Fgfr-1, are downregulated by mid to late stages of neurogenesis. In Fgf2 knockout mice, the volume and cell number of the dorsal PVE (the cerebral cortical anlage) are substantially smaller, whereas the volume of the basal PVE is unchanged. The dorsal PVE of Fgf2 knockout mice has a 50% decrease in founder cells and a reduced expansion of the progenitor pool over the first portion of neurogenesis. Despite this reduction, the degree of apoptosis within the PVE is not changed in the Fgf2 knockouts. Cortical neuron number was decreased by 45% in Fgf2 knockout mice by the end of neurogenesis, whereas the number of neurons in the basal ganglia was unaffected. Microscopically, the frontal cerebral cortex of neonatal Fgf2 null mutant mice lacked large neurons in deep cortical layers. We suggest that Fgf2 is required for the generation of a specific class of cortical neurons arising from the dorsal PVE.

In primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells, protein kinase C (PKC) translocation and activation can be triggered by the stimulation of excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter receptors. Glutamate evokes a dose-related translocation of 4-fi-[3H~phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate {[3H]-P(BtO)2} binding sites from the cytosol to the neuronal membrane and stimulates the incorporation of 32p into a number of membrane proteins, particularly protein bands in the range of 80, 50, and 40 kDa. The glutamate-evoked PKC translocation is Mg2" sensitive, is prevented by 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate and phencyclidine, is not inhibited by nitrendipine (a voltage-dependent Ca2+-channel blocker) but is abolished by the removal of Ca2+ from the incubation medium, suggesting that glutamate-mediated Ca21 influx is operative in the redistribution of PKC. Exposure of granule cells to the gangliosides trisialosylgangliotetraglycosylceramide (GT1b) or monosialosylgangliotetraglycosylceramide (GM1) inhibits the translocation and activation of PKC evoked by glutamate. These glycosphingolipids fail to interfere with glutamate binding to its high-affinity recognition site or with the [3H]P(BtO)2 binding, nor do they affect the Ca2+ influx. These gangliosides may prevent PKC translocation by interfering with the PKC binding to the neuronal membrane phosphatidylserine.An increase of cytosolic free Ca2l may promote protein kinase C (PKC) translocation from the cytosol to the membrane and may prime the diacylglycerol activation of PKC by facilitating the binding of the enzyme to phosphatidylserine, a component of the inner lipid bilayer (1-3). Since diacylglycerol can be produced by phospholipase C activation mediated by transmitter receptor stimulation in neurons, the activation and the translocation of PKC can be considered a long-term component of the cascade of events triggered by transmitter activation of metabotropic receptors (4, 5). In addition to diacylglycerol and phospholipids, other classes of lipids located in neuronal membranes, such as lysosphingolipids and gangliosides, appear to participate in the modulation of membrane translocated PKC activity (6,7). This raises the possibility that in neuronal membranes, sialycation of gangliosides by enzymes of the outer or inner membrane surfaces (8) promotes a transmembrane "sphingoglycolipid cycle" (7) that may function as a negative effector system of PKC activity. Studies of synthetic diacylglycerol derivatives and phorbol esters have marshalled indirect evidence supporting a role for PKC in neurotransmitter synthesis and secretion and in the regulation of transmitter receptors and ion channels (9-11). However, the physiological mechanisms by which PKC is translocated are bypassed by the use of these two classes of synthetic PKC effectors. The aim of the present study was to explore whether excitatory amino acid receptor agonists, in particular glutamate, stimulate PKC translocation from the cytosol to the neuronal membrane and allow the subsequent activation of this enzyme. Glutamate...

Basic fibroblast growth factor (Fgf2) is required for the generation of founder cells within the dorsal pseudostratified ventricular epithelium, which will generate the cerebral cortex, but the ganglionic eminences are not affected. We report here that the Fgf2 null mutant mice show an ϳ40% decrease in cortical glutamatergic pyramidal neurons. In contrast, no change in pyramidal or granule cell number is detected in the hippocampus of Fgf2 Ϫ/Ϫ mice. In addition, the soma of the pyramidal cells in the frontal and parietal cortices are smaller in Fgf2 knock-out mice. The decrease in the number and size of glutamatergic neuronal population affects all cortical layers but is restricted to the frontal and parietal cortices without any change in the occipital cortex, indicating that Fgf2 is necessary to regulate cell number and size in the anterior cerebral cortex. In contrast to pyramidal neurons, cortical GABA interneurons are unaffected by the lack of Fgf2. The resulting imbalance between the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the cerebral cortex is reflected by an increased duration of sleep when the animals receive a GABA receptor agonist. Thus, Fgf2 signaling may contribute to the regional specification of the cerebral cortex and may play a role in increasing the size of anterior cortical regions during vertebrate evolution.

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We have analyzed the molecular and biophysical properties of glutamate-gated channels in cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage, using both the CG-4 primary cell line (Louis et al: J. Neurosci. Res. 31:193-204, 1992a) and oligodendrocyte progenitors purified from the rat cerebral cortex. CG-4 progenitor cells, as well as primary progenitors, were stained with a specific anti-GABA antibody. In whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, rapid perfusion of the agonists L-glutamate, kainate, and AMPA produced rapidly desensitizing currents in CG-4 cells. NMDA was ineffective. Both rapidly desensitizing and steady-state components of responses to kainate were inhibited by the kainate/AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX. Northern blot analysis of total mRNA isolated from CG-4 cells revealed co-expression of both AMPA- and kainate-preferring glutamate receptor subunits. The activation of glutamate receptors in CG-4 cells caused a rapid and transient elevation of mRNAs for the immediate early gene NGFI-A.

Cellular heterogeneity in the human brain obscures the identification of robust cellular regulatory networks, which is necessary to understand the function of non-coding elements and the impact of non-coding genetic variation. Here we integrate genome-wide chromosome conformation data from purified neurons and glia with transcriptomic and enhancer profiles, to characterize the gene regulatory landscape of two major cell classes in the human brain. We then leverage cell-type-specific regulatory landscapes to gain insight into the cellular etiology of several brain disorders. We find that Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated epigenetic dysregulation is linked to neurons and oligodendrocytes, whereas genetic risk factors for AD highlighted microglia, suggesting that different cell types may contribute to disease risk, via different mechanisms. Moreover, integration of glutamatergic and GABAergic regulatory maps with genetic risk factors for schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) identifies shared (parvalbumin-expressing interneurons) and distinct cellular etiologies (upper layer neurons for BD, and deeper layer projection neurons for SCZ). Collectively, these findings shed new light on cell-type-specific gene regulatory networks in brain disorders.

We characterize the landscape of somatic mutations—mutations occurring after fertilization—in the human brain using ultra-deep (~250X) whole-genome sequencing of prefrontal cortex from 59 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases and 15 controls. We observe a mean of 26 somatic single nucleotide variants (sSNVs) per brain present in ≥4% of cells, with enrichment of mutations in coding and putative regulatory regions. Our analysis reveals that the first cell division after fertilization produces ~3.4 mutations, followed by 2–3 mutations in subsequent generations. This suggests that a typical individual possesses ~80 sSNVs present in ≥2% of cells—comparable to the number of de novo germline mutations per generation—with about half of individuals having at least one potentially function-altering somatic mutation somewhere in the cortex. ASD brains show an excess of somatic mutations in neural enhancer sequences compared to controls, suggesting that mosaic enhancer mutations may contribute to ASD risk.

Mutations in MECP2 gene have been identified in more than 95% of patients with classic Rett syndrome, one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in females. Taking advantage of the breakthrough technology of genetic reprogramming, we investigated transcriptome changes in neurons differentiated from induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with different mutations. Profiling by RNA-seq in terminally differentiated neurons revealed a prominent GABAergic circuit disruption along with a perturbation of cytoskeleton dynamics. In particular, in mutated neurons we identified a significant decrease of acetylated α-tubulin which can be reverted by treatment with selective inhibitors of HDAC6, the main α-tubulin deacetylase. These findings contribute to shed light on Rett pathogenic mechanisms and provide hints for the treatment of Rett-associated epileptic behavior as well as for the definition of new therapeutic strategies for Rett syndrome.