Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 24, Issue 13, Pages 3251-3259Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5173-03.2004
Keywords
neurogenesis; neuronal progenitor; dentate granule cell; green fluorescent protein; transgenic mice; proopiomelanocortin; BrdU; PSA-nCAM
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Funding
- FIC NIH HHS [R03 TW001233, TW01233] Funding Source: Medline
- NIDDK NIH HHS [P01 DK055819, R01 DK066604, DK55819] Funding Source: Medline
- NINDS NIH HHS [NS26494, R01 NS026494] Funding Source: Medline
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Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus continues into adulthood, yet little is known about the function of newly born neurons or how they integrate into an existing network of mature neurons. We made transgenic mice that selectively and transiently express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in newly born granule cells of the dentate gyrus under the transcriptional control of proopiomelanocortin ( POMC) genomic sequences. Analysis of transgenic pedigrees with truncation or deletion mutations indicated that EGFP expression in the dentate gyrus required cryptic POMC promoter regions dispensable for arcuate hypothalamic or pituitary expression. Unlike arcuate neurons, dentate granule cells did not express the endogenous POMC gene. EGFP-positive neurons had immature properties, including short spineless dendrites and small action potentials. Colocalization with bromodeoxyuridine indicated that EGFP-labeled granule cells were similar to2 weeks postmitotic. EGFP-labeled cells expressed markers for immature granule cells but not the glial marker GFAP. The number of EGFP-labeled neurons declined with age and increased with exercise, paralleling neurogenesis. Our results indicate that POMC-EGFP marks immature granule cells and that adult-generated granule cells integrate quite slowly into the hippocampal circuitry.
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