Neurogenesis in the circumventricular organs of adult mouse brains

Abstract

The circumventricular organs (CVOs), including the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT), subfornical organ (SFO), median eminence (ME), and area postrema (AP), allow parenchyma cells to sense a variety of blood-derived substances and/or secreted peptides into blood circulation. In the present study, we examined continuous neurogenesis in the CVOs of adult mice. The immunohistochemistry of neural progenitor cell (NPC) marker proteins revealed that Math1- and Mash1-positive cells were observed in the discrete regions of CVOs, including the capillary plexus in the OVLT, the internal zone of the ME, and the lateral zone in the AP. A few Mash1- and Math1-positive cells were seen throughout the SFO, and many Math1- but not Mash1-positive cells were observed at the arcuate nucleus. Math-positive cells were often seen to localize in close proximity to the vasculature. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry revealed the incorporation of BrdU in a subpopulation of Mash1-, Math1-, HuC/D-, and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2)-positive cells. Mash1- and Math1-positive cells expressed exclusively high level of plasminogen, whereas a subpopulation of HuC/D- and MAP2-positive neurons expressed low or undetectable level of plasminogen. Thus, the present study demonstrates that newborn cells express NPC marker proteins and plasminogen to localize closely at vascular matrix and moreover differentiate into neurons expressing mature neuron marker proteins, indicating that new neurons are possibly generated to integrate into new neural circuits.