Role of c-fos during neurogenesis

FN VELAZQUEZ; DA D'ASTOLFO; BL CAPUTTO

Córdoba

Jornada; V Jornadas de Posgrado de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; 2011

Facultad de Ciencias Químicas-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Neurons of the mammalian CNS originate from progenitors dividing at the apical surface of the neuroepithelium. These cells show a high capacity of proliferation, and an adequate control of their growth is of key importance. The protein c-Fos is known as a transcription factor and as a protein capable to activate the phospholipids synthesis. c-fos -/- mice, although viable, die approximately 7 months of age, are infertile and growth-retarded respect to their WT littermates. We proposed to determine if the absence of c-Fos have an effect during neurogenesis. NCFC assays showed less number of neural stem cells in the telencephalon of c-fos -/- embryos compared to c-fos+/+, and neurospheres cultures have differences in the kinetic proliferation. Assays of dual injection of EdU and BrdU in E14,5 c-fos-/- and c-fos+/+ showed an increased number of cells at the S-phase in the embryonic cortical telencephalon of c-fos-/- mice, while immunoflurescence for BIII-Tubulin indicated less number of differentiated cells. Determination of the mitosis angle in apical progenitors reflected a predominant symmetric division in the knock out condition. These results indicate that the absence of c-fos affects: the average cell-cycle length of progenitor cells (causing an exhausting of these cells) and/or the differentiation capacity of them (avoiding retire from the undifferentiated steady).