The Journal of Neuroscience, March 1995, 15(3): 2547-2560 Complementary Expressions of Transcripts Encoding GAD,, and GABA, Receptor a4, pl, and yl Subunits in the Proliferative Zone of the Embryonic Rat Central Nervous System Wu Ma and Jeffery L. Barker Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda; Maryland.26892 -- The developmental stage at which nerve cells initially ex- stage, whereas cells in the VZ may express mRNAs for GA- press specific neurotransmitters and their corresponding BA, receptor 014, pl, and yl subunits at the premigratory receptors remains elusive. In the present study, the distri- stage, just after completing cell division. The present study bution patterns of transcripts for the GABA-synthesizing suggests that both GABA and GABA, receptors may be enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD,,), and specific expressed in cells before they migrate to their final posi- GABA, receptor subunits were examined in the prolifera- tions, and that GABAergic interaction may regulate neu- tive zone of the rat central nervous system using in situ ronal migration and differentiation. hybridization. In order to define the DNA synthetic zone of [Key words: development, germinal matrix, BrdU immu- the germinal matrix, tissue sections were taken from em- nocytochemistry, cell cycle, glutamate decarboxylase, GA- bryos whose mothers had been injected with 5-bromo-2’- BA, receptor subunits, in situ hybridization] deoxyuridine (BrdU) and had survived for 1 hr. BrdU im- munocytochemistry was used to locate the relative Neurons originate for the most part in the ventricular zone (VZ), position of BrdU-immunoreactive nuclei within the ventric- a sheetof neuroepithelialcells lining the embryonic ventricular ular zone (VZ). At embryonic day (E) 15 in the alar plate of system throughout the brain and spinal cord. An interesting but the lumbar spinal cord, and at El7 and E20 in the dorso- unresolvedissue concerns the developmentalstage at which em- medial sector of the neocot-tex, densely packed BrdU-im- bryonic cells synthesizeneurotransmitters and receptors.This is munoreactive nuclei were consistently detected in lateral particularly important in the developing central nervous system portions of the inner half of the germinal matrix, indicating (CNS), since increasing evidence indicates that classical, fast- that the inner half of the germinal matrix corresponded to acting neurotransmittersmay play morphogenicroles in forming the VZ, while the outer half corresponded to the transitional the CNS by affecting neuronal proliferation, migration, and dif- (TZ) or subventricular zone (SV). In situ hybridization in tis- ferentiation (for reviews, Redburn and Schousboe,1987; Lauder, sue sections adjacent to BrdU-immunoreacted ones 1988, 1993; Meier et al., 1991). GABA is one of the earliest showed that the transcripts for GABA, receptor (~3, p3, and transmittersdetected in the developing CNS (Lauder et al., 1986; y2 subunits were found exclusively in the mantle zone, Ma et al., 1991, 1992a), and has been implicated in playing a while those for a4, pl, and yl subunits were predominantly role in neuronal development (Hansenet al., 1987). Our previ- detected in the inner half of the germinal matrix (i.e., VZ). ous studies in the spinal cord reported that one of the GABA- Furthermore, in the El5 germinal matrix of the lumbar spi- synthesizing enzymes, glutamatedecarboxylase (GAD,,) (Ma et nal cord, cells exhibiting cw4 subunit mRNA were much al., 1992b), and its mRNA, particularly its alternatively spliced more abundant in the receding intermediate plate, which form (Behar et al., 1994a), are expressedby neuroepithelialcells contains mostly postmitotic cells, than in the alar plate and postmitotic neuroblastsduring embryogenesis.Furthermore, comprised of many DNA-synthesizing cells, strongly sug- GABA-immunoreactive cells have been detected at different gesting that only those cells completing final ceil division depths of the VZ of rat neocortex (Van Eden et al., 1989; Cobas expressed the subunit mRNAs. In clear contrast, GAD,, et al., 1991). mRNA was abundant in the outer half of the germinal ma- In addition, mRNAs encoding the subunit family of GABA, trix (i.e., TZ or SV), and in the intermediate zone as well. receptorshave beenfound throughout the embryonic CNS (Lau- lmmunocytochemical staining of El7 neocottex with anti- rie et al., 1992; Poulter et al., 1992, 1993; Ma et al., 1993a,b). GABA antibody revealed a well defined band of GABA-im- In the spinal cord, (w2,3,5,B2,3, and y2,3 subunit mRNAs were munoreactive cells and processes in the SV and occasion- detectable as early as embryonic day (E) 12-13 in the mantle al positive cells in the VZ. It appears that cells in the zone, where cells differentiate, while the trio of (~4 (according proliferative zone may express GABA at the migratory to Seeburg’snomenclature, see Wisden et al., 1991), Bl, and y 1 transcripts emerged at El3 exclusively in the VZ, where cells Received July 29, 1994; revised Sept. 28, 1994; accepted Oct. 3, 1994. proliferate (Ma et al., 1993b). The anatomic localization of both We thank Devera Schoenberg, M.S., for editing the manuscript. GAD,, and GABA, receptor subunitmRNAs in the proliferative Correspondence should be addressed to Wu Ma, Laboratory of Neurophys- iologv, NINDS-NIH, Building 36/Roam 2C-02, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, zone suggestsa possible role for GABA in the earliest period MD-50892. of neuronal development.However, it is not yet clear when dur- Copyright 0 1995 Society for Neuroscience 0270.6474/95/152547-14$05.00/O ing proliferation cells expressGAD and/or GABA, receptor sub- 2548 Ma and Barker l GAD and GABA, Receptor mRNAs in CNS Proliferative Zone unit mRNAs. This is particularly important in determining when blocked and cut in 12 pm thick sections on a cryostat, and mounted and where putative GABAergic circuits might function and for onto poly-L-lysine-coated slides before immunostaining for GABA. BrdU immunocytochemistry. Some sections were stained with a what purposes. monoclonal antibody against BrdU (Becton-Dickinson, Mountain View, It is known that neuroepithelial cell nuclei undergo a to-and- CA). The sections were fixed in 70% ethanol for 30 min and then rinsed fro movement in the VZ during the cell generation cycle (Sauer in PBS (pH 7.3). The sections were immersed in 0.07 N NaOH for 2 1935a,b). Neuroepithelial cells replicate their DNA mainly while min and then in 0.1 M PBS, pH 8.5, for 30 set, and rinsed again in PBS (pH 7.3). Subsequently, the spinal cord was incubated with a flu- their nuclei are distant from the lumen of the neural tube in the orescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-BrdU antiserum (diluted to 1:5 synthetic zone (sz). The nuclei with replicated DNA move to- in PBS) for 30 min at room temperature. The sections were rinsed three ward the ventricular surface where cell division occurs in the times in PBS and coverslipped with a mixture of glycerol and PBS (3: mitotic zone (mz). After mitosis, the daughter cells may either 1). reenter the cell cycle or migrate from the proliferative zone to GABA immunocytochemistry. The GABA immunostaining procedure used in the present study has been previously described (Ma et al., form a mantle layer near the external surface of the neural tube, 1992a). Briefly, sections were rinsed in three changes of PBS and in- where further differentiation occurs. The classical stages of cell cubated in polyclonal antisera to GABA (1:300) (raised in guinea pigs; cycle characteristics of proliferative cells are related to the rel- Eugene Tech Inc., Allendale, NY) for 48 hr at 4°C. Following three ative position of the proliferative cell nucleus in the VZ; nuclei rinses in PBS, the sections were incubated with rhodamine-conjugated at the same stage are spatially aligned with each other at the secondary antibodies at a final dilution of 1:30 at room temperature for 4.5 min. The sections were rinsed again in PBS, coverslipped with a same depth of the VZ. Therefore, the spatial location of aligned mixture of glycerol and PBS (3: l), and examined under a Leitz epiflu- nuclei within the VZ is a useful indicator of the cell cycle stage orescence microscope. In order to identify the cytoarchitectural features (Takahashi and Caviness, 1993). Cell nucleus location within the of immunostained sections, coverslips were removed from some slides VZ can be followed autoradiographically with 3H-thymidine. It after fluorescence signals were photographed, and stained with 2% cre- has been shown that a single injection of 3H-thymidine is avail- syl violet. In situ hybridization. Sections adjacent to those treated for BrdU able for DNA synthesis for less than 1 hr in mammals; only a immunocytochemistry were processed for in situ hybridization employ- single generation of cells takes up the label (Sidman et al., 1959; ing ?S-labeled oligonucleotide probes as described previously (Ma et Atlas and Bond, 1965). Nuclei in the DNA synthetic phase are al., 1993b). Briefly, the sections were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in situated in the lateral portion of the VZ; this location may help 0.1 M PBS (pH 7.3) for 5 min, rinsed twice in PBS: and acetylateh with 0.25% acetic anhvdride in 0.1 M triethanolamine HC1/0.9% NaCl for identify the DNA-synthesizing region in the VZ (Sidman et al., 10 min. They werethen dehydratedthrough a gradedseries of ethanol 1959). 5-Bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) is a thymidine ana- solutions, delipidated in chloroform, rehydrated, and air dried. Comple- logue that is also incorporated in the synthetic phase and can be mentary DNA probes to the GABA, receptor a3 subunit (Malherbe et detected with immunocytochemistry (Miller and Nowakowski, al., 1990) 5’-CAC TGT TGG AGT TGA AGA AGC ACT GGG AGC 1988); BrdU-labeled cells are now considered the equivalent of AGC AGC CTT GGA GAT-3’; (~4 subunit (according to Seeburg’s nomenclature, Wisden et al., 1991) 5’-CAA GTC GCC AGG CAC thymidine-positive elements (Miller and Nowakowski, 1988).