Expression of the gene for the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin coincides with the onset of neuronal differentiation in the developing rat nervous system

TY - JOUR

T1 - Expression of the gene for the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin coincides with the onset of neuronal differentiation in the developing rat nervous system

AU - Fliegner, Karsten H.

AU - Kaplan, Michael P.

AU - Wood, Teresa L.

AU - Pintar, John E.

AU - Liem, Ronald K.H.

PY - 1994/4/8

Y1 - 1994/4/8

N2 - While neurofilaments have long been considered early markers of neuronal differentiation, they cannot be detected in most newly postmitotic neurons of the developing central nervous system (CNS). Here we show that these neurons already express the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin at high levels. α‐internexin is expressed by most, if not all, neurons as they begin differentiation and shows no overlap with vimentin, whose expression in the CNS is restricted to mitotic neuronal precursors. In the adult, α‐internexin is the only intermediate filament gene expressed by the cerebellar granule cells, the source of the thin‐caliber parallel fibers; conversely, neurofilament proteins are highly expressed in large neurons, which express α‐internexin at low levels. These data suggest that neuronal intermediate filaments may regulate axonal stability and/or diameter through changes not only in their number, but also in their subunit composition. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

AB - While neurofilaments have long been considered early markers of neuronal differentiation, they cannot be detected in most newly postmitotic neurons of the developing central nervous system (CNS). Here we show that these neurons already express the neuronal intermediate filament protein α‐internexin at high levels. α‐internexin is expressed by most, if not all, neurons as they begin differentiation and shows no overlap with vimentin, whose expression in the CNS is restricted to mitotic neuronal precursors. In the adult, α‐internexin is the only intermediate filament gene expressed by the cerebellar granule cells, the source of the thin‐caliber parallel fibers; conversely, neurofilament proteins are highly expressed in large neurons, which express α‐internexin at low levels. These data suggest that neuronal intermediate filaments may regulate axonal stability and/or diameter through changes not only in their number, but also in their subunit composition. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

KW - cytoskeleton

KW - development

KW - in situ hybridization

KW - neurofilaments

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U2 - 10.1002/cne.903420202

DO - 10.1002/cne.903420202

M3 - Article

C2 - 8201029

SN - 0021-9967

VL - 342

SP - 161

EP - 173

JO - Journal of Comparative Neurology

JF - Journal of Comparative Neurology

IS - 2

ER -