Ependyma: Phylogenetic Evolution of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Vimentin Expression in Vertebrate Spinal Cord

Overview

Journal Histochemistry

Specialty Biochemistry

Date 1994 Aug 1

PMID 7822213

Citations 7

Authors

G Bodega

I Suarez

M Rubio

B Fernandez

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The phylogenetic evolution was studied of both glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin expression in the ependyma of the adult vertebrate spinal cord. Eleven species from different vertebrate groups were examined using different fixatives and fixation procedures to demonstrate any differences in immunoreactivity. GFAP expression in the ependymal cells showed a clear inverse relation with phylogenetic evolution because it was more elevated in lower than in higher vertebrates. GFAP positive cells can be ependymocytes and tanycytes, although depending on their structural characteristics and distribution, the scarce GFAP positive ependymal cells in higher vertebrates may be tanycytes. Ependymal vimentin expression showed a species-dependent pattern instead of a phylogenetic pattern of expression. Vimentin positive ependymal cells were only found in fish and rats; in fish, they were tanycytes and were quite scarce, with only one or two cells per section being immunostained. However, in the rat spinal cord, all the ependymocytes showed positive immunostaining for vimentin. The importance of the immunohistochemical procedure, the cellular nature of GFAP positive ependymal cells and the relationship between tanycytes and ependymocytes are discussed, as well as GFAP and vimentin expression.

Citing Articles

Elevated Serum Melatonin under Constant Darkness Enhances Neural Repair in Spinal Cord Injury through Regulation of Circadian Clock Proteins Expression.

Hong Y, Jin Y, Park K, Choi J, Kang H, Lee S J Clin Med. 2019; 8(2).

PMID: 30678072 PMC: 6406284. DOI: 10.3390/jcm8020135.

Musashi and Plasticity of and Axolotl Spinal Cord Ependymal Cells.

Chernoff E, Sato K, Salfity H, Sarria D, Belecky-Adams T Front Cell Neurosci. 2018; 12:45.

PMID: 29535610 PMC: 5835034. DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00045.

Building a central nervous system: The neural stem cell lineage revealed.

Xu W, Lakshman N, Morshead C Neurogenesis (Austin). 2017; 4(1):e1300037.

PMID: 28516107 PMC: 5424705. DOI: 10.1080/23262133.2017.1300037.

Neurogenesis and growth factors expression after complete spinal cord transection in Pleurodeles waltlii.

Zaky A, Moftah M Front Cell Neurosci. 2015; 8:458.

PMID: 25628538 PMC: 4292736. DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00458.

Adult NG2+ cells are permissive to neurite outgrowth and stabilize sensory axons during macrophage-induced axonal dieback after spinal cord injury.

Busch S, Horn K, Cuascut F, Hawthorne A, Bai L, Miller R J Neurosci. 2010; 30(1):255-65.

PMID: 20053907 PMC: 2823089. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3705-09.2010.

References

OHara C, Egar M, Chernoff E . Reorganization of the ependyma during axolotl spinal cord regeneration: changes in intermediate filament and fibronectin expression. Dev Dyn. 1992; 193(2):103-15. DOI: 10.1002/aja.1001930202. View

Bjugn R, Boe R, Haugland H . A stereological study of the ependyma of the mouse spinal cord. With a comparative note on the choroid plexus ependyma. J Anat. 1989; 166:171-8. PMC: 1256750. View

Bodega G, Suarez I, Rubio M, Fernandez B . Distribution and characteristics of the different astroglial cell types in the adult lizard (Lacerta lepida) spinal cord. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1990; 181(6):567-75. DOI: 10.1007/BF00174628. View

Lyser K . The fine structure of glial cells in the chicken. J Comp Neurol. 1972; 146(1):83-94. DOI: 10.1002/cne.901460106. View

Miller R, Liuzzi F . Regional specialization of the radial glial cells of the adult frog spinal cord. J Neurocytol. 1986; 15(2):187-96. DOI: 10.1007/BF01611655. View

Chouaf L, Hardin H, Aguera M, Fevre-Montange M, Voutsinos B, Belin M . Developmental expression of glial markers in ependymocytes of the rat subcommissural organ: role of the environment. Cell Tissue Res. 1991; 266(3):553-61. DOI: 10.1007/BF00318597. View

Nona S, Shehab S, Stafford C, Cronly-Dillon J . Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) from goldfish: its localisation in visual pathway. Glia. 1989; 2(3):189-200. DOI: 10.1002/glia.440020308. View

Stevenson J, Yoon M . Morphology of radial glia, ependymal cells, and periventricular neurons in the optic tectum of goldfish (Carassius auratus). J Comp Neurol. 1982; 205(2):128-38. DOI: 10.1002/cne.902050204. View

Meikle A, Martin A . A rapid method for removal of the spinal cord. Stain Technol. 1981; 56(4):235-7. DOI: 10.3109/10520298109067317. View

10.

Bruni J, Del Bigio M, Clattenburg R . Ependyma: normal and pathological. A review of the literature. Brain Res. 1985; 356(1):1-19. DOI: 10.1016/0165-0173(85)90016-5. View

11.

Joosten E, Gribnau A . Astrocytes and guidance of outgrowing corticospinal tract axons in the rat. An immunocytochemical study using anti-vimentin and anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein. Neuroscience. 1989; 31(2):439-52. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(89)90386-2. View

12.

Bodega G, Suarez I, Rubio M, Villalba R, Fernandez B . Astroglial pattern in the spinal cord of the adult barbel (Barbus comiza). Anat Embryol (Berl). 1993; 187(4):385-98. DOI: 10.1007/BF00185897. View

13.

ROESSMANN U, Velasco M, Sindely S, Gambetti P . Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in ependymal cells during development. An immunocytochemical study. Brain Res. 1980; 200(1):13-21. DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)91090-2. View

14.

Lukas Z, Draber P, Bucek J, Draberova E, Viklicky V, Staskova Z . Expression of vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein in human developing spinal cord. Histochem J. 1989; 21(12):693-701. DOI: 10.1007/BF01002834. View

15.

Basco E, Woodhams P, Hajos F, Balazs R . Immunocytochemical demonstration of glial fibrillary acidic protein in mouse tanycytes. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1981; 162(2):217-22. DOI: 10.1007/BF00306493. View

16.

Anderson M, Swanson K, Waxman S, Eng L . Glial fibrillary acidic protein in regenerating teleost spinal cord. J Histochem Cytochem. 1984; 32(10):1099-106. DOI: 10.1177/32.10.6481149. View

17.

Oudega M, Marani E . Expression of vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein in the developing rat spinal cord: an immunocytochemical study of the spinal cord glial system. J Anat. 1991; 179:97-114. PMC: 1260579. View

18.

Eng L . Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP): the major protein of glial intermediate filaments in differentiated astrocytes. J Neuroimmunol. 1985; 8(4-6):203-14. DOI: 10.1016/s0165-5728(85)80063-1. View

19.

Sarnat H . Role of human fetal ependyma. Pediatr Neurol. 1992; 8(3):163-78. DOI: 10.1016/0887-8994(92)90063-5. View

20.

Zamora A, Mutin M . Vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein filaments in radial glia of the adult urodele spinal cord. Neuroscience. 1988; 27(1):279-88. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(88)90237-0. View