Stellate neurons mediate functional hyperemia in the cerebellar molecular layer.

Mice lacking cyclin D2 have a profound reduction in the number of stellate neurons in the cerebellar molecular layer. We used cyclin D2-null mice to study the contribution of stellate neurons in the increase of cerebellar blood flow (BFcrb) produced by neural activation. Crus II, a region of the cerebellar cortex that receives trigeminal sensory afferents, was activated by stimulation of the upper lip (5-30 V; 10 Hz), and BFcrb was recorded at the activated site by the use of a laser-Doppler flow probe. In wild-type mice, upper lip stimulation increased BFcrb in crus II by 32 +/- 2%. The rise in BFcrb was attenuated by 19% in heterozygous mice and by 69% in homozygous mice. In contrast to the cerebellum, the increases in somatosensory cortex blood flow produced by upper lip stimulation was not attenuated in D2-null mice. The field potentials evoked in crus II by upper lip stimulation did not differ between wild-type and D2-null mice. Stellate neurons are a major source of nitric oxide (NO) in the cerebellar molecular layer. The neuronal NO synthase inhibitor 7-nitroindazole attenuated the vascular response to crus II activation in wild-type mice but not in D2-null mice, suggesting that stellate neurons are the major source of NO mediating the vascular response. The data provide evidence that stellate neurons are a critical link between neural activity and blood flow in the activated cerebellum and that NO is the principal effector of their vascular actions.

Cerebellar histogenesis is disturbed in mice lacking cyclin D2.

Formation of brain requires deftly balancing primary genesis of neurons and glia, detection of when sufficient cells of each type have been produced, shutdown of proliferation and removal of excess cells. The region and cell type-specific expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, such as demonstrated for cyclin D2, may contribute to these processes. If so, regional brain development should be affected by alteration of cyclin expression. To test this hypothesis, the representation of specific cell types was examined in the cerebellum of animals lacking cyclin D2. The loss of this cyclin primarily affected two neuronal populations: granule cell number was reduced and stellate interneurons were nearly absent. Differences between null and wild-type siblings were obvious by the second postnatal week. Decreases in granule cell number arose from both reduction in primary neurogenesis and increase in apoptosis of cells that fail to differentiate. The dearth of stellate cells in the molecular layer indicates that emergence of this subpopulation requires cyclin D2 expression. Surprisingly, Golgi and basket interneurons, thought to originate from the same precursor pool as stellate cells, appear unaffected. These results suggest that cyclin D2 is required in cerebellum not only for proliferation of the granule cell precursors but also for proper differentiation of granule and stellate interneurons.

Adult olfactory epithelium contains multipotent progenitors that give rise to neurons and non-neural cells.

We have infused replication-incompetent retroviral vectors into the nasal cavity of adult rats 1 day after exposure to the olfactotoxic gas methyl bromide (MeBr) to assess the lineage relationships of cells in the regenerating olfactory epithelium. The vast majority of the retrovirus-labeled clones fall into three broad categories: clones that invariably contain globose basal cells (GBCs) and/or neurons, clones that always include cells in the ducts of Bowman's glands, and clones that are composed of sustentacular cells only. Many of the GBC-related clones contain sustentacular cells and horizontal basal cells as well. Most of the duct-related clones contain gland cells, and some also include sustentacular cells. Thus, the destruction of both neurons and non-neuronal cells that is caused by MeBr activates two distinct types of multipotent cells. The multipotent progenitor that gives rise to neurons and non-neuronal cells is a basal cell, whereas the progenitor that gives rise to duct, gland, and sustentacular cells resides within the ducts, based on the pattern of sparing after lesion and the analysis of early regeneration by using cell type-specific markers. We conclude that the balance between multipotency and selective neuropotency, which is characteristic of globose basal cells in the normal olfactory epithelium, is determined by which cell types have been depleted and need to be replenished rapidly.

Cell cycle of globose basal cells in rat olfactory epithelium.

The olfactory epithelium of adult mammals has the unique property of generating olfactory sensory neurons throughout life. Cells of the basal compartment, which include horizontal and globose basal cells, are responsible for the ongoing process of neurogenesis in this system. We report here that the globose basal cells in olfactory epithelium of rats, as in mice, are the predominant type of proliferating cell, and account for 97.6% of the actively dividing cells in the basal compartment of the normal epithelium. Globose basal cells have not been fully characterized in terms of their proliferative properties, and the dynamic aspects of neurogenesis are not well understood. As a consequence, it is uncertain whether cell kinetic properties are under any regulation that could affect the rate of neurogenesis. To address this gap in our knowledge, we have determined the duration of both the synthesis phase (S-phase) and the full cell cycle of globose basal cells in adult rats. The duration of the S-phase was found to be 9 hr in experiments utilizing sequential injections of either IdU followed by BrdU or 3H-thy followed by BrdU. The duration of the cell cycle was determined by varying the time interval between the injections of 3H-thy and BrdU and tracking the set of cells that exit S shortly after the first injection. With this paradigm, the interval required for these cells to traverse G2, M, G1, and a second S-phase, is equivalent to the duration of one mitotic cycle and equals 17 hr. These observations serve as the foundation to assess whether the cell cycle duration is subject to regulation in response to experimental injury, and whether such regulation is partly responsible for changes in the rate of neurogenesis in such settings.

Retroviral lineage studies of the rat olfactory epithelium.

Replication-incompetent retroviral vectors that encode the heritable marker enzyme, beta-galactosidase, were used to study the lineage relationships of cells in the olfactory epithelium of unmanipulated animals and in the olfactory epithelium as it reconstitutes after lesion. Virally-marked cells are categorized as to type based on their position in the epithelium and on expression of NCAM (limited to neurons) and the carbohydrate moiety recognized by Griffonia lectin (limited to the dark/horizontal basal cells and the microvillar class of supporting cells). Direct injections of the vectors into the olfactory epithelium of otherwise intact animals produce clusters of beta-galactosidase-labeled cells when assessed 6-10 days after infection; these clusters are composed of neurons and NCAM-negative/lectin-negative light/globose basal cells exclusively. In contrast, clusters of virally-marked cells after MeBr-induced lesion of the epithelium frequently contain both neurons and supporting cells, as well as both types of basal cells. Other clusters contain supporting cells and/or Bowman's gland/duct cells. It is likely that the clusters of marked cells are derived from a single founder cell, i.e. the cells are clonal and lineally related, since the clusters are widely dispersed. Furthermore, infusion of mixtures of viruses that can be distinguished on the basis of the type and subcellular localization of the marker enzyme that is expressed produce clusters that are homogenous with respect to enzyme type, providing strong evidence in favor of the notion that the clusters are clonal in nature. Thus, the founders of the clones that contain neurons, supporting cells and basal cells are pluripotent in their capacity for differentiation. It is unlikely that the pluripotent cells are found in Bowman's gland/duct, since we have yet to observe a clone that contains neurons and cells in Bowman's gland/duct. Hence, the pluripotent stem cells are to be found in the basal cell compartment of the epithelium. However, the exact nature of these stem cells remains unknown and a subject for future investigation.