Spatial Distribution of Parvalbumin-Positive Fibers in the Mouse Brain and Their Alterations in Mouse Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Parkinson's Disease / 神经科学通报·英文版

Parvalbumin interneurons belong to the major types of GABAergic interneurons. Although the distribution and pathological alterations of parvalbumin interneuron somata have been widely studied, the distribution and vulnerability of the neurites and fibers extending from parvalbumin interneurons have not been detailly interrogated. Through the Cre recombinase-reporter system, we visualized parvalbumin-positive fibers and thoroughly investigated their spatial distribution in the mouse brain. We found that parvalbumin fibers are widely distributed in the brain with specific morphological characteristics in different regions, among which the cortex and thalamus exhibited the most intense parvalbumin signals. In regions such as the striatum and optic tract, even long-range thick parvalbumin projections were detected. Furthermore, in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, parvalbumin fibers suffered both massive and subtle morphological alterations. Our study provides an overview of parvalbumin fibers in the brain and emphasizes the potential pathological implications of parvalbumin fiber alterations.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor in the epididymal sperm of adolescent male rats / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1) have a very important position in the field of male reproduction. However, it is still unclear about their expression meaning and regulatory mechanism in the reproductive system. OBJECTIVE: To study the expression and location of VEGF and Flt-1 in the epididymal sperm of adolescent male rats. METHODS: The expression of VEGF and Flt-1 was detected in 10 adolescent SD rats. The concentration of the sperm was (30-40)×109/L. Immunofluorescent staining was used for VEGF and Flt-1 expression and location in the sperm. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Immunofluorescent staining showed that VEGF and Flt-1 were both localized in the acrosome of sperm head, as well as in the neck, middle and principal segment of sperm tail. Specific expression patterns of VEGF and Flt-1 in the sperm of rats display that they may participate in spermiotelcosis, relevant to movement, capacitation and acrosome reaction of the sperm.