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Evidence of Postnatal Neurogenesis in Dorsal Root Ganglion: Role of Nitric Oxide and Neuronal Restrictive Silencer Transcription Factor

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience volume 32, pages 97–107 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The various mechanisms underlying postnatal neurogenesis from discrete CNS regions have emerged recently. However, little is known about postnatal neurogenesis in dorsal root ganglion (DRG). BrdU incorporation and subsequent immunostaining for BrdU, neural stem cell marker, nestin and neuronal marker, PGP 9.5 have provided evidence for postnatal neurogenesis in DRG. We further demonstrate, in vivo and in vitro, that nitric oxide (NO) regulates neural stem cells (nestin+) proliferation and, possibly, differentiation into neurons. Surprisingly, nerve growth factor (NGF) had no effect on nestin+ cells proliferation. Axotomy or NGF-deprivation of DRG neurons-satellite glia co-culture increases NO production by neurons and treating with a NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, N G-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) in vitro or 7-nitroindazole (7NI) in vivo, causes a significant increase in nestin+ cell numbers. However, a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) blocker, 1H-[1, 2, 4] oxadiazolo [4, 3-a] quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) treatment of NGF-deprived DRG neurons-satellite glia co-culture had no significant effect on nestin+ cell numbers. This implies NO regulates nestin+ cell proliferation independent of cGMP. We hypothesised that the neuronal-restrictive silencer transcription factor (NRSF, also termed REST), a master regulator of neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells, may be modulated by NO in satellite glia cultures. A NO donor, dimethyl-triamino-benzidine (DETA)-NO treatment of satellite glia cell cultures results in a significant increase in the NRSF/REST mRNA expression. The majority of cultured satellite glia cells express nestin, and also show increased levels of NOS, thus L-NAME treatment of these cultures causes a dramatic reduction in NRSF/REST mRNA. Overall these results suggest that NO inhibits neurogenesis in DRG and this is correlated with modulation of NRSF, a known modulator of differentiation.

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Abbreviations

BrdU:

5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine

BMP:

bone morphogenic protein

BSA:

bovine serum albumin

CNS:

central nervous system

cGMP:

cyclic guanosine monophosphate

DETA-NO:

dimethyl-triamino-benzidine

DMEM:

Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium

DMSO:

dimethyl sulfoxide

DRG:

dorsal root ganglion

FCS:

foetal calf serum

FGF:

fibroblast growth factor

HBSS:

Hank's balanced salt solution

iNOS:

inducible nitric oxide synthase

L-NAME:

NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester

NBM:

Neurobasal medium

NGF:

nerve growth factor

7NI:

7 Nitroindazole

NO:

nitric oxide

NOS:

nitric oxide synthase

nNOS:

neuronal nitric oxide synthase

NRSF:

neuronal-restrictive silencer transcription factor

NMDA:

N-methyl-D-aspartate

NMDAR:

NMDA receptor

ODQ:

1H-[1, 2, 4] oxadiazolo [4, 3-a] quinoxalin-1-one

PBS:

phosphate buffer saline

PFA:

paraformaldehyde

PGP 9.5:

protein gene product 9.5

PNS:

peripheral nervous system

RE-1:

repressor element-1

REST:

RE 1 silencer transcription factor

RT:

room temperature

sGC:

soluble guanylyl cyclase

trkA:

tyrosine kinase A

T4 :

thyroxine

T3 :

tri-iodothyronine

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Brownlowhill Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZJ, UK

    Daleep K. Arora, Anna S. Cosgrave & Thimmasettappa Thippeswamy

  2. School of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Mark R. Howard, Vivien Bubb & John P. Quinn

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  1. Daleep K. Arora
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  2. Anna S. Cosgrave
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  3. Mark R. Howard
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  4. Vivien Bubb
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  6. Thimmasettappa Thippeswamy
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Correspondence to Thimmasettappa Thippeswamy.

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Arora, D.K., Cosgrave, A.S., Howard, M.R. et al. Evidence of Postnatal Neurogenesis in Dorsal Root Ganglion: Role of Nitric Oxide and Neuronal Restrictive Silencer Transcription Factor. J Mol Neurosci 32, 97–107 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-007-0014-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-007-0014-7

Keywords

  • Nestin
  • Axotomy
  • NOS inhibitors
  • BrdU
  • Neurogenesis
  • Neural stem cells