"Lino Rossi" Research Center for the Study and Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death and SIDS Department of Surgical, Reconstructive and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Milan, Italy.
J Neurol Sci. 2013 Jun 15;329(1-2):45-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 Apr 7.
In the developing brain neuronal differentiation is associated with permanent exit from the mitotic cycle. Neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) is a nuclear protein widely expressed in the mature postmitotic neurons.
We applied NeuN immunocytochemistry in 65 cases of perinatal death (16 victims of sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome/SIUDS, 19 of sudden infant death syndrome/SIDS and 30 controls) to test the physiological status of the brain neurons. In addition we applied both TUNEL and Caspase 3 immunohistochemical methods in order to highlight a possible relation between decreased NeuN expression and apoptotic outcome. We also attempted to see whether or not NeuN pathological changes can be related to cigarette smoke absorption in pregnancy.
NeuN staining was considerably reduced or lost in SIUDS/SIDS compared to controls. However neurons with decreased NeuN-labeling showed no sign of apoptosis. A significant association was found between NeuN depletion and maternal smoking.
Altered NeuN expression can be a marker of immature and/or suffering neurons. The exclusive presence of this pattern of expression in SIUDS/SIDS victims, leads us to recommend the NeuN immunohistochemistry as a routine method in neuropathological protocols to convalidate a diagnosis of sudden perinatal death.
在发育中的大脑中，神经元分化与有丝分裂周期的永久退出有关。神经元核抗原（NeuN）是一种广泛表达于成熟的有丝分裂后神经元中的核蛋白。
我们应用 NeuN 免疫细胞化学方法检测了 65 例围产期死亡（16 例为突然宫内原因不明的死亡综合征/SIUDS，19 例为婴儿猝死综合征/SIDS，30 例为对照组）的大脑神经元的生理状态。此外，我们还应用了 TUNEL 和 Caspase 3 免疫组化方法，以突出减少 NeuN 表达与凋亡结局之间可能存在的关系。我们还试图确定 NeuN 病理改变是否与孕期吸烟有关。
与对照组相比，SIUDS/SIDS 中的 NeuN 染色明显减少或缺失。然而，表达 NeuN 减少的神经元没有凋亡的迹象。NeuN 耗竭与母亲吸烟之间存在显著关联。
改变的 NeuN 表达可以作为未成熟和/或受损神经元的标志物。这种表达模式仅存在于 SIUDS/SIDS 患者中，这促使我们推荐 NeuN 免疫组化作为神经病理学方案中的常规方法，以验证突然性围产期死亡的诊断。
