Complementary and dynamic type II cadherin expression associated with development of the primate visual system.
Dev Growth Differ
; 56(8): 535-43, 2014 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25283545
ABSTRACT
The middle temporal visual area (MT, also known as V5) is a visual association area that is particularly evolved in the primate brain. The MT receives input from the primary visual area (V1), constitutes part of the dorsal visual pathway, and plays an essential role in processing motion. Connections between the MT and V1 in the primate brain are formed after birth, and are related to the maturation of visual system. However, it remains to be determined what molecular mechanisms control the formation and maturation of the visual system. Cadherins are transmembrane proteins, originally isolated as cell adhesion molecules, which have multiple roles in synapse formation and function. To investigate potential involvement of cadherins in development of the primate visual system, we examined type II cadherin expression (cadherin-6, -8, -12) in cortical and thalamic visual areas of pre- and postnatal brains of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In the prenatal brain, cadherin-6 was dominantly expressed in the pulvino-MT pathway whereas cadherin-8 was dominant in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)-V1 pathway. During postnatal development, there was a downregulation of cadherin-6 and upregulation of cadherin-8 expression in the MT. The timing of this cadherin exchange preceded the development of V1-MT connections. Our results suggest the possibility that changes in cadherin expression are involved in the development of the primate visual system, and that a switch in cadherin expression may be a general mechanism to control neural plasticity of highly cognitive abilities.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Córtex Visual
/
Caderinas
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article