Hydrogen Sulfide in Proliferating and Differentiated Cells in Primary Cultures of Juvenile Brain of Masu Salmon <i>Oncorhynchus masou</i>

Abstract

Analysis of proliferative activity and the ability to neuron differentiation was performed in cultured cells of the brain and spinal cord of juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was used as a proliferative marker, while the markers of neuronal differentiation—a neuron protein HuCD, and a neuron-specific transcriptional factor with two DNA- binding sites Pax6—detected neurons. The results showed that cell proliferation occurred mainly in the suspension cell fraction. In monolayer, a few cells were only found to express PCNA. The results of morphological and immunohistochemical analysis allow us to conclude that proliferative activity in primary cultures from the O. masou brain is mainly connected with the suspension fraction of small cells. In contrast, a positive correlation between the cells expressing cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), a marker of H2S synthesis, and the cells expressing PCNA in the monolayer, indicates the participation of H2S in proliferative activity of neurons in primary cultures. The data obtained suggest that the hydrogen sulphide is also involved in the process of differentiation.