Van der Zee E A, Jansen K, Gerkema M P
Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands.
J Biol Rhythms. 2000 Feb;15(1):37-47. doi: 10.1177/074873040001500105.
The intrinsic properties of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the site of the main circadian pacemaker in mammals, have recently been studied in vitro by means of organotypic slice culturing. So far, only neonatal rats and mice have been used for such developmental and functional analyses of the isolated pacemaker. Here, the authors present a comparative developmental study of the SCN of voles, rats, and hamsters in organotypic slice cultures. In contrast to strictly circadian organization of behavior in rats and hamsters, common voles (Microtus arvalis) are characterized by large variability in the strength of circadian organization of behavior. It is not known to what extent this variability is reflected in the intrinsic features of the SCN. Cultures were prepared from rat, hamster, and vole pups (6 to 9 days old) for the purpose of species comparison. In addition, the authors studied the relation between age and development in cultures from pup (7 to 10 days old), juvenile (15 to 16 days old), and young adult (1 to 2 months old) voles. In contrast to the situation in rat and hamster, the most striking feature in neonatal voles is the variability in shape of the final, fully developed culture and its poor resemblance with the in vivo SCN. The SCN of adult voles, however, could be cultured successfully while retaining its morphological organization seen in situ. Phase-contrast microscopy and immunocytochemical staining for vasopressin and glial fibrillary acidic protein revealed that cultures of pup and juvenile voles still have potential for neurogenesis and morphological reorganization. Young voles, therefore, can serve as a model to study the developmental establishment of a functional circadian pacemaker, while adult voles allow the study of intrinsic pacemaker properties in relation to previously recorded behavior of the donor and aging-related pacemaker dysfunction.
视交叉上核（SCN）是哺乳动物主要昼夜节律起搏器所在部位，其内在特性最近已通过器官型切片培养在体外进行研究。到目前为止，仅使用新生大鼠和小鼠对分离出的起搏器进行这种发育和功能分析。在此，作者展示了在器官型切片培养中对田鼠、大鼠和仓鼠的SCN进行的比较发育研究。与大鼠和仓鼠行为严格的昼夜节律组织不同，普通田鼠（Microtus arvalis）的特点是行为昼夜节律组织强度变化很大。目前尚不清楚这种变异性在多大程度上反映在SCN的内在特征中。为了进行物种比较，从大鼠、仓鼠和幼龄田鼠（6至9日龄）制备了培养物。此外，作者研究了幼龄田鼠（7至10日龄）、幼年田鼠（15至16日龄）和年轻成年田鼠（1至2月龄）培养物中年龄与发育的关系。与大鼠和仓鼠的情况不同，新生田鼠最显著的特征是最终完全发育的培养物形状的变异性以及它与体内SCN的相似性较差。然而，成年田鼠的SCN可以成功培养，同时保留其原位可见的形态组织。相差显微镜检查以及针对加压素和胶质纤维酸性蛋白的免疫细胞化学染色显示，幼龄田鼠和幼年田鼠的培养物仍具有神经发生和形态重组的潜力。因此，幼年田鼠可作为研究功能性昼夜节律起搏器发育建立的模型，而成年田鼠则有助于研究与供体先前记录的行为相关的内在起搏器特性以及与衰老相关的起搏器功能障碍。
