We created an Nse-CreERT2 mouse line expressing the tamoxifen-inducible CreERT2 recombinase under the control of the neuron-specific enolase (Nse) promoter. By using Cre reporter lines we could show that this Nse-CreERT2 line has recombination activity in the granule cells of all cerebellar lobules as well as in postmitotic granule cell precursors in the external granular layer of the developin...

Adult neurogenesis is frequently studied in the mouse hippocampus. We examined the morphological development of adult-born, immature granule cells in the suprapyramidal blade of the septal dentate gyrus over the period of 7-77 days after mitosis with BrdU-labeling in 6-weeks-old male Thy1-GFP mice. As Thy1-GFP expression was restricted to maturated granule cells, it was combined with doublecort...

Wild red foxes, proverbially cunning carnivores, are investigated for adult hippocampal neurogenesis and morphological characteristics of the dentate gyrus. Adult red foxes harbor almost 15-times more young, doublecortin-positive neurons in their dentate gyrus than domesticated dogs. The number of doublecortin-positive cells corresponds to 4.4% of the total granule cell number, whereas dividing...

Granule cells in the olfactory bulb (OB) are continually produced and added into the neuronal circuit in the adult brain. Sensory input to the OB plays a key role in the survival of newly generated granule cells. Here, we examined in the adult mice whether there is a time window after the generation of new granule cells when their survival is strongly influenced by sensory input. New granule ce...

Recent studies have shown that prolonged stimulation of afferents of the rat fascia dentata in vivo leads to the development of chronic epileptiform activity of the dentate granule cell region, and degeneration of certain cell types in the adjacent hilus. To investigate the development of dentate hyperexcitability and the selective vulnerability of hilar cells, the hippocampal slice preparation...

During development of the cerebellum, sonic hedgehog (Shh) is directly responsible for the proliferation of granule cell precursors in the external germinal layer. We have looked for signals able to regulate a switch from the Shh-mediated proliferative response to one that directs differentiation of granule neurones. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are expressed in distinct neuronal populati...

Cbln1, which belongs to the C1q/tumor necrosis factor superfamily, is released from cerebellar granule cells and plays a crucial role in forming and maintaining excitatory synapses between parallel fibers (PFs; axons of granule cells) and Purkinje cells not only during development but also in the adult cerebellum. Although neuronal activity is known to cause morphological changes at synapses, h...

Neuregulin (NRG), a growth and differentiation factor that signals via erbB receptor tyrosine kinases, has been shown to have biological effects in both the CNS and the peripheral nervous system. We report here that erbB4 is expressed in mature cerebellar granule cells, where it appears to be concentrated at the granule cell postsynaptic terminals. We also show that one form of NRG, Ig-NRG, pla...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifaceted messenger molecule believed to be involved in neural plasticity and development. Within the cerebellum, the NO synthesizing enzyme, NO synthase (NOS), is expressed exclusively by granule cells and stellate/basket neurons. In the adult cerebellum, levels of NOS expression can be used to define discrete clusters of granule cell populations. Differential express...