ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To establish a system for regulating the gene expression of embryonic mouse cerebral cortex neural stem cells (NSCs) using in utero electroporation (IUE). METHODS: At embryonic day 14.5, the mouse cerebral cortex NSCs were electro-transfected with the pCIG plasmid injected into the ventricle of the mouse embryo. At embryonic day 16.5 or day 17.5, embryonic mouse brain tissues were collected to prepare frozen sections. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the proliferation, apoptosis, division, directional differentiation, migration, and maturation of NSCs. RESULTS: The differentiation of NSCs into intermediate progenitors, the proliferation and apoptosis of NSCs, and the morphological development of radial axis of radial glial cells were observed at embryonic day 16.5. The differentiation of NSCs into neurons in layers V-VI of the cerebral cortex, the migration of NSCs to the lateral cerebral cortex, the development of dendrites of migrating neurons, and the maturation of neurons were observed at embryonic day 17.5. CONCLUSIONS: The system for regulating the gene expression of embryonic mouse cerebral cortex NSCs can be established using IUE, which is useful for the study of neural development related to the proliferation, apoptosis, division, directional differentiation, migration and maturation of NSCs in the cerebral cortex.
Subject(s)
Neural Stem Cells , Animals , Cerebral Cortex/metabolism , Electroporation , Gene Expression , Mice , Neurons/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and its significance in premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 96 very low birth weight infants (gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks) who survived for more than 28 days and were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between January 2010 and December 2012. These subjects were divided into BPD group (n=21) and non-BPD group (n=75). The expression of TGF-ß1 and PAI-1 in blood was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The levels of TGF-ß1 and PAI-1 in the BPD group increased gradually from the 7th day to the 14th day and then to the 21st day after birth, and were significantly higher than in the non-BPD group at all time points (P<0.01). The TGF-ß1 and PAI-1 levels in the non-BPD group on the 7th, 14th, and 21st days after birth were not significantly different from each other (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of TGF-ß1 and PAI-1 in blood is elevated in premature infants with BPD, which may be associated with the development of BPD.
