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Aging-Associated Modulation in the Expression of Pax6 in Mouse Brain

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Abstract

Symptoms like mental retardation, depression, and anxiety have been observed during aging. Almost similar phenotypes have been evident in patients having haploinsufficiency or mutations in Pax6, a transcriptional regulator. Since Pax6 regulates axon guidance, differentiation of neurons from glia, and neuronal migration, it has been considered as a marker of newly generated neurons. The immunohistochemical analysis of Pax6 positive cells and expression pattern of Pax6 in olfactory lobe, hippocampus, and cerebellum of aging mouse brain have been investigated. The number of Pax6 positive cells and level of Pax6 were reduced progressively in olfactory lobe, cerebellum, and hippocampus from postnatal day-zero (P0) to old age mice. Pax6 positive cells were significantly lower in dentate gyrus, CA1, CA2, and CA3 regions of hippocampus, in mitral cell (MiCe), and internal plexiform (InPl) layers of olfactory lobe, and in granular cell (GrLa), and Purkinje’s cell (PuCe) layers of cerebellum from P0 to old age. Thus, modulation in the expression of Pax6 and reduction in Pax6 positive cells show direct association of Pax6 with aging-related neuronal dystrophy.

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Acknowledgments

Ratnakar Tripathi acknowledges SRF (9/13(385)/2011-EMR-I) from the CSIR, New Delhi. The support from the UGC (39-623/2010(SR), New Delhi, to Rajnikant Mishra is also gratefully acknowledged. We are thankful to Prof D Kumar and Prof TK Banrjee, for extending microscope facility.

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  1. Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Ratnakar Tripathi & Rajnikant Mishra

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  1. Ratnakar Tripathi
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  2. Rajnikant Mishra
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Correspondence to Rajnikant Mishra.

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Tripathi, R., Mishra, R. Aging-Associated Modulation in the Expression of Pax6 in Mouse Brain. Cell Mol Neurobiol 32, 209–218 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-011-9749-3

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