Apoptosis as a regulator of cell proliferation in the central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus of adult gymnotiform fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1995-12, Vol.202 (1), p.133-136
• Main Authors: Soutschek, Jürgen, Zupanc, Günther K.H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - physiology; Apteronotus leptorhynchus; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - cytology; Brain - physiology; Cell Count; Cell Division - physiology; Central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus; Deoxyribonuclease I - pharmacology; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; DNA - analysis; DNA - drug effects; Electric Fish - physiology; Female; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gymnotiformes; In Situ Hybridization; Male; Microscopy, Confocal; Postnatal neurogenesis; Programmed cell death; Somatostatin; Teleostei; TUNEL method; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Weakly electric fish
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(95)12231-1

Like many species of teleost fish, the gymnotiform Apteronotus leptorhynchus displays a high degree of proliferative activity in a large number of brain regions during adulthood. One of these regions is the central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus (CP/PPn) in the diencephalon. By applying in situ techniques for the detection of DNA fragmentation, a feature characteristic of apoptosic cells, we show in the present study that the high proliferative activity in the CP/PPn is counterbalanced by programmed cell death. Most of the apoptosic events occur in the ventricular and subventricular zones of this thalamic complex, where the generation of the cells and their differentiation into neurons take place. The demonstration of apoptosis in the CP/PPn provides strong evidence against the hypothesis that animals in which neurogenesis continues beyond embryonic stages of development lack cell death.